Pokémon: Eevee Chronicles
by Chash123
Summary: What if Professor Oak had given Ash Ketchum an Eevee instead of Pikachu? How would this change the course of Ash's Pokémon journey?
1. Chapter One:

Disclaimer: I do not, nor have I ever, owned anything related to Nintendo's _Pokémon_ franchise.

* * *

Legend:

"A human or a Pokémon is talking."

'_A human or a Pokémon is thinking.'_

"**A machine is being used."**

* * *

Chapter One:

* * *

(Kanto—Indigo Plateau—Pokémon Stadium)

From all over the Kanto region, thousands of people had shown up for the final match of this year's Indigo League. To watch this year's top two Pokémon Trainers fought for the chance to win the Indigo League and, after that, to challenge Kanto's Elite Four.

Currently on the battlefield were two Pokémon Trainers who were in the midst of their battle against one another.

The first was Isamu Akai, a slightly pale-skinned teenager with spiky black hair and red eyes. Isamu was wearing a red shirt, black jeans with a belt, and a dark-red jacket. To complete his outfit, he had five shrunken Poké Balls clipped to his belt while holding his sixth and final Poké Ball in his hand.

The second was Kai Midoriwa, a beautiful young woman with shoulder-length brown hair and green eyes. Kai was wearing a vibrant green tank-top, a black skirt with a belt, and pretty black shoes. And, like Isamu, she also had five Poké Balls hanging off her belt.

"Gengar, dodge it!" Kai shouted towards her Pokémon. Then, once Gengar had obeyed, she continued on with her order. "Now, use your Hypnosis!"

Gengar nodded as it put its hands together, "Gen…" The Ghost-Type Pokémon quickly gathered its energy before it let it loose. "GAR!"

Coming out from Gengar's hands came small black circles that rapidly expanded as they swiftly approached Isamu's Pokémon. Seeing this, Isamu's eyes narrowed before he quickly shouted out an order to his Pokémon:

"Nidorino, get out of the way!"

However, the order came too late, as Nidorino was unable to dodge. Gengar's first Hypnosis ring hit it in the face, making it more sluggish and drowsy, before the rest of the attack hit it. Unable to stay awake under this barrage, despite its best efforts, Nidorino collapsed to the ground, asleep.

"Your warning came too late, Isamu." Kai smirked.

Slightly incensed by the comment, Isamu was about to reply when the referee interrupted him:

"Nidorino is no longer able to battle! This round goes to Kai Mirdoriawa of Viridian City!"

Immediately after this announcement came a roar from the audience that almost deafened the two Trainers, and the referee, that stood on the battlefield.

XXXXXX

(Kanto—Pallet Town—Ketchum Residence)

Currently watching the battle between Kai and Isamu on his television screen was the young, ten year-old boy known as Ash Ketchum.

Ash had slightly tanned skin, spiky black hair, brown eyes, and what looked like zigzags on his cheeks. He could usually be seen wearing a black shirt, a blue jacket, blue jeans, white sneakers, and a red hat. Right now, however, he was wearing his blue pajamas.

The Pokémon Fight Channel had held a marathon of all of the Pokémon Battles from last year's Indigo League. All day long, Ash had watched these battles, marveling at all of the different skills and techniques the Trainers and their Pokémon used.

Technically, his bedtime was a few hours ago, he had stayed up to watch. He wanted to see his idol, Isamu, defeat his rival and win. However he knew that if he wanted to wake up tomorrow at 7:30, he would need to get to bed soon. If he didn't, he wouldn't be on time to get his very own Pokémon, something that he had been dreaming of ever since he was little.

Once he had gotten his first Pokémon, he would be able register as an official Pokémon Trainer. He would then on his very own journey and train a powerful team of Pokémon that he would catch. With his team, he would defeat eight Gym Leaders and receive their badges. Once he had those badges, he could use them to enter the Indigo League.

'_And once I beat the Indigo League…' _Ash thought, eyes burning with determination. '_I'll be one step closer to becoming the greatest Pokémon Trainer in the world!'_

It was only a few moments after that passionate thought that Ash heard footsteps approaching his room. He panicked, knowing it was his mother, and fumbled for the remote to his T.V. He was too late.

"Ash Gohta Ketchum!" Delia Ketchum scolded as she threw open the room to her son's room, hands on her hips. "Do you have any idea what time it is? You should have been in bed, asleep, three hours ago!"

Delia Ketchum was a relatively young-looking woman with chestnut brown hair styled into a ponytail and eyes the color of molten amber. Like most days, she was wearing a simple yellow blouse, a light pink sweater, a light purple skirt, and black slippers.

"But I was too excited to sleep, Mom! And I wanted to see if Isamu beat Kai and won the Indigo League!" Ash complained.

Delia's stern face softened as she remembered her own pre-journey jitters—and how late she had stayed up—before she grabbed Ash's T.V. remote. Turning off the T.V., she then turned her attention to Ash.

"You can find out who wins tomorrow, sweetie. Right now, it's way past your bedtime. You need to get some sleep honey; your big day is tomorrow." Delia said.

With that, Delia quickly went over before she gave her son a warm hug she said goodnight. She then flicked light-switch off, plunging the room into darkness, just as Ash crawled underneath his comforter.

Drained, Ash fell asleep only two minutes after his head hit his pillow.

XXXXXX

(Ketchum Residence: Ash's bedroom)

"Pid-pid." A bird Pokémon chirped from the tree branch of the tree that was just outside of Ash's closed window. "Pidgey."

At the sound of the bird Pokémon's somewhat muffled chirps, Ash finally woke up. He yawned, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes, before he looked around his room.

He quickly spotted the broken remains of his Voltorb-shaped alarm clock before he panicked. He jumped out of bed, almost tripping on the sheets, before he rushed to his closet.

'_How long did I sleep in?'_ He thought worriedly. _'I hope I'm not late!'_

After he had gotten dressed, he grabbed his backpack and ran out of his bedroom. He then proceeded to run down the hallway, down the stairs, and out of the house with a speed that would shame any Pokémon's Quick Attack.

It would take him 10 ½ minutes to get to Professor Oak's laboratory. Knowing this, Ash cursed before willing his legs to move faster.

XXXXXX

(Sometime later—With Ash)

Ash continued his run towards the Professor's lab, albeit at a slower pace, sweat beading on the forehead of his red face. Spotting his target, he quickly noticed the crowd that surrounded the entrance to the lab.

He ran on, wondering why the crowd had gathered as his feet thudded against the well-beaten dirt pathway.

Ash didn't have to wait that long to find out why the crowd was there; his rival, Gary Oak, had just exited his grandfather's laboratory and was now walking down the stairs to greet the crowd. The crowd cheered at his presence while a nearby band began playing.

Like Ash, Gary had slightly tanned skin and spiky hair though his hair was brown and he had brown eyes as opposed to Ash's black. He was wearing a long-sleeved purple shirt, purple pants, black sneakers, and a greenish-yellow sphere attached to a cord around his neck.

"Gary, Gary, Gary!" A team of cheerleaders chanted as they cheered, red and white pompoms flashing through the air. "He's our man; if he can't do it, no one can!"

Ash finally managed to push through the crowd, inadvertently landing himself directly before his rival. Gary smirked before opening his mouth:

"Well, well, well… If it isn't little Ashy-boy, come to get his first Pokémon."

Ash stiffened, flushing, as his cheeks tinted a light pink. Usually, when Gary used that hated nickname, he would lash out. However, this wasn't the time or place for that. Also, he was curious as to which Pokemon Gary had chosen as his starter.

"Which Pokémon did you chose Gary?" He asked.

Gary smirked, removing a Poké Ball from his belt, spinning it around on his finger. As it spun, the Poké Ball began to enlarge until it was full-sized.

"If you were here earlier you would know that I chose the last Pokémon." Gary sneered tauntingly. "By the time you become a Pokémon Trainer, I'll be a Pokémon Master!"

Ash walked forward, his eyes wide in shock, as Gary walked towards the crowd that had gathered for him. He heard the brown-haired boy say something, the crowd cheering, but wasn't really paying attention.

His mind was more focused on what Gary had said to him; had Gary really taken the last Pokémon? He was so lost in his thoughts that he didn't even notice the Professor walking down the stairs.

"Could I help you with something Ash?" Professor Oak asked.

Ash was startled at the "sudden" appearance of the Pokémon Professor. He calmed down his beating heart before he smiled, sheepishly, at Professor Oak.

Professor Oak was a relatively old man with whitish-gray hair and brown eyes. He was wearing a short-sleeved red shirt, a white lab-coat, brown pants with a belt, and black shoes.

"Yes, Professor, I'm here to get my first Pokémon." Ash nodded before he continued. "So I can become a Pokémon Trainer."

Professor Oak nodded, accepting the information, before he motioned for Ash to follow him. The Professor then led him up the staircase before they entered the Professor's laboratory.

The lab was composed of two floors. After entering, Ash and Professor Oak entered a hallway with several doors. To the left of them both was a chest of drawers and the stairway to the second floor, which they began climbing it. Once there, the two of them entered into the main lab.

The lab possessed several machines that were used for Pokémon testing and a table with various chemicals on it. Nearby is a blue chair with a status screen in front of it, which showed the health and power of a Pokémon, and Professor Oak's computer, which he used to record his research.

Beside the computer was the Poké Ball Transfer machine, for the transportation of Pokémon to their Trainers in a Pokémon Center. The room also had a bookshelf, a desk with a lamp, a brown couch, and a drawing board. Hanging from the ceiling was a large lamp.

And, right smack dab in the middle of the lab was a layered, circular metal table that currently held three Poké Balls. Each of these Poké Balls had a different sticker on them, which proclaimed the type of the Pokémon that was inside of it.

There was a fire-sticker for Charmander, a leaf sticker for Bulbasaur and a teardrop symbol for Squirtle.

'_Whew.' _Ash thought in relief. _'Gary was just messing with my head; there still are some Pokémon left.'_

With that thought in mind, Ash moved over to the table, Professor Oak standing behind him, silently watching. Once at the table, he reached for the Poké Ball with the teardrop-like sticker on it.

However, instead of releasing a Pokémon like it was supposed to, the Poké Ball simply opened. It was empty. Frowning, Ash moved onto his second choice, Bulbasaur, only to get the same results. Panicking, Ash quickly turned to the last Poké Ball and prayed that it still had a Pokemon inside of it.

Like the others, however, the Poké Ball turned out to be empty.

Downtrodden and slightly hurt, Ash turned towards Professor Oak. "If you had already given out all the Pokémon, why didn't you just tell me?" Professor Oak flinched slightly. "And why are their Poké Balls still here?"

Professor Oak's shoulders sagged slightly before he sighed, closing his eyes. Opening them he then took a step towards Ash with an apologetic expression on his face.

"I'm really sorry Ash." Professor Oak said. "Those Poké Ball are the three Poké Balls I use to hold the Bulbasaur, Charmander, and Squirtle every year. Once a Trainer chooses it, the Pokémon is transferred to one of the Trainer's new Poké Balls…"

Ash nodded at the explanation, still hurt, before the reality of his situation fully impacted him. There were no more Pokémon left. So, Gary was right after all.

He would have to wait for who-knows how long until Professor Oak caught, or bred, another Starter Pokémon. That meant that he wouldn't probably have enough time to travel around Kanto and get eight Gym Badges, missing this year's Indigo League.

His desperation over his situation and a fierce passion to not get behind Gary fueled Ash's next few actions.

Taking a step forward, Ash addressed Professor Oak with a pleading expression. "Please, Professor… there has to be another Pokémon I could use! If I don't start my journey now…" His shoulders slumped "I won't ever be able to catch up with Gary."

Professor Oak bit his lip cautiously, looking away. He knew of the rivalry between Ash and his grandson. He knew how Gary would probably taunt and mock Ash for being unable to start his journey on time.  
The Professor also knew of Ash's fierce love of Pokémon. He knew that, if Ash could get a Pokémon, he would do his best to make sure it was treated right.

"Well…" Professor Oak said after a moment, hedging on the idea, before he admitted. "I do have ONE Pokémon left—"

Ash interrupted with a fierce, "I'll take it!"

"Are you sure, Ash? I mean, this Pokémon isn't normally given out to new Pokémon Trainers… It could be quite the handful."

"I'm sure, Professor!" Ash said.

Professor Oak nodded with a sigh—having expected Ash's answer—before he walked out of the main area of his lab. He returned a couple of minutes later before he placed a rectangular red device along with six Poké Balls on the table. Then, he removed another Poké Ball with a brown, star-like symbol on it from the pocket of his lab-coat.

Handing Ash the Poké Ball, he then took a step backwards. He watched as Ash quickly pressed the small, silver button on the Poké Ball, enlarging it. Ash then released the Pokemon that was inside of it with a flash of brilliant, white-colored light.

The Pokémon took form as a mammalian creature with brown fur, a bushy tail that had a cream-colored tip, and a large furry collar that was also cream-colored. It also had four short, feline-like legs with three small toes on each foot. To finish it off, this Pokémon had curious honey-colored eyes, long pointed ears, and pink paws.

"Ee-vee?" The Pokémon asked with a cute tilt of its head.

"This Pokémon is known as Eevee, the Evolution Pokémon." Professor Oak explained. "As a species, Eevee are usually affectionate, loyal, and fairly energetic. However, it is their very energy that makes Eevee hard to handle sometimes."

Bending his knees, Ash watched as the Pokémon—Eevee—approached him with a cautious expression on its face. When Eevee was a foot away, he slowly reached out with his hand, allowing the Pokémon to sniff it.

After a few tense seconds in which Eevee sniffed, Eevee opened its mouth before it began to lick Ash's hand. Seeing this as a sign, Ash moved his hand slightly and began to scratch Eevee on the head. Eevee purred.

"Eevee, ve Eevee…"

Ash smiled, "It's nice to meet you too, Eevee! My name is Ash!"

"Ve Ee-V-E…" Eevee purred, rubbing its head against Ash's palm. "Eevee Ve Eevee Ee-V-E…. Ve…"

Professor Oak coughed—getting both Ash and Eevee's attention—before he pointed towards the items he had put onto the table. "These are the most basic, standard version of Poké Balls. Using them, you can catch weakened Wild Pokemon." He then pointed towards the red device, picked it up, and flipped it open to show an assortment of buttons and a small black screen. This is your Pokédex; its main function is to provide you with information about Pokémon you might encounter. It will also record any information about any new Pokemon that you might discover… After all, there are still many Pokemon just waiting to be discovered."

XXXXXX

(The Kanto Region: Pallet Town)

It was soon after Professor Oak had finished explaining everything that Ash would need that he registered Ash as a new Pokémon Trainer. Once that was done, he explained that Ash would have ¥1000 to start him off on his journey, so he better use it wisely.

Then, Professor Oak accompanied Ash down the stairs and outside his laboratory, only to see a small crowd had gathered at the bottom of the hill, led by Delia Ketchum. When this crowd spotted Ash, the people began to play their instruments, applaud, or hold up white banners that read:

* * *

Good luck on your journey, Ash!

* * *

Ash had barely gotten past the gate to Professor Oak's lab when his mom rushed at him before giving him a massive, bone-crushing hug.

"I'm so proud of you, honey!" Delia gushed, tears in her eyes. "You're finally going off to fulfill your dream and start your own Pokemon journey!"

"Mom!" Ash complained.

Then, his mom seemed to notice Eevee—who was now sitting next to his feet—before she finally released him. Stars appeared in her eyes at the sheer "cuteness" of Eevee which was only amplified as Eevee tilted its head and said "Ve?"

"Is this your Pokemon, sweetie?" Delia asked.

Eevee wagged her tail happily, "Ve Eevee!" She rubbed her head against Ash's legs and purred, "Eevee Ee-V-E Ve Eve…"

"Yeah!" Ash nodded with a smile. "This is my Pokémon, Eevee." Eevee looked up at the mention of her name, eyes bright. "With her by my side, I will catch all of the Pokémon in the world!"

"Eve!" Eevee agreed.

Delia smiled too, "I know you will, honey. But… just don't forget to call home every once and a while, okay?" Before her son got a chance to respond, Delia quickly leaned in and whispered into his ear. "And don't forget to change your You-Know-What's every day!"

"Mom! Don't mention them! That's embarrassing!" Ash complained. After a few moments of not getting a response, he crossed his arms and looked down. "Fine. I promise I'll change them."

With that said, the ten year-old gave his mother a goodbye hug. He then thanked all of the people that had come to support him.

Ash and his Eevee then began to walk towards the northern exit of Pallet Town. It was time to finally start their very own Pokémon journey.

* * *

Ash Ketchum's Pokemon Team:

Eevee (Female): Level Five.

Attacks: Tail Whip (Normal), Tackle (Normal), and Helping-Hand (Normal).

* * *

**A/N: Author's Note:** Well, that is the end of the first chapter of Pokemon: Eevee Chronicles. Please tell me how you liked it in your reviews or messages. This chapter was updated as of 5/08/12.


	2. Chapter Two:

Disclaimer: I do not, nor have I ever, owned anything related to Nintendo's _Pokémon_ franchise.

* * *

Legend:

"A human or a Pokémon is talking."

'_A human or a Pokémon is thinking.'_

"**A machine is being used."**

* * *

Chapter Two:

* * *

(Kanto—Route One)

It had been about four hours since Ash Ketchum and his Starter Pokémon—Eevee—had left Pallet Town to begin their very own Pokémon Journey.

Since they had left Pallet Town, they had been travelling down the well-trodden, dirt road that made up Route One. However, about thirty minutes ago, Ash had decided to stop for some lunch, as he was getting pretty hungry.

After finding a small clearing to eat lunch, Ash had withdrawn a sandwich and a bottle of water for himself. He had then found a small bag of PokéChow and a small bowl inside. Those hadn't been inside his backpack before.

'_Mom put this stuff in here.'_ Ash thought in realization. He grinned, "Thanks, Mom."

"Ve?"

Ash looked down to where Eevee was now sitting, looking at him with a curious gleam in its eyes and a tilted head. He grinned at his Pokémon before he showed it the bag of PokéChow which caused it to lick its lips.

"You're hungry to, aren't you?" Ash stated more than asked. He then ripped open the top of the bag before pouring it into the metal bowl, after seeing Eevee nod. "Well, my Mom put this into my backpack. I was just thanking her… even if she isn't here…"

Saying it aloud, Ash realized how odd his actions were. Ears flushed, he reached over to his sandwich and bit into it. Eevee however noticed none of this, chomping, chewing, and then swallowing its mouthful after mouthful of PokéChow.

Eventually Ash's embarrassment died out, just as he was finishing his lunch. He then put away his half-drained bottle, his bunched-up sandwich wrapper, Eevee's empty bowl, and the bag of PokéChow into his backpack.

Ash had just about finished when he caught sight of a small Pokémon not too far away from where he and Eevee were.

The Pokémon resembled a small, plump-bodied bird. It was a brown color, with the tips of its wings, belly, and throat being a nice cream color. Both of its taloned feet and beak were a pinkish-gray color. It also had black markings around its eyes and a small crest of brown and cream feathers above its eyes.

This bird-like Pokémon was foraging around in the grass around it, appearing to be looking for its own lunch. What made it perfect was that this Pokémon's back was turned to him and Eevee.

"This is perfect, Eevee." Ash whispered, careful to keep his voice down lest the Pokémon hear him and be startled away.

Quickly taking out his Pokédex, he flipped it open before he pointed it towards the bird Pokémon. A moment later the screen flashed before a picture of Pidgey—on a blue background—appeared.

The Pokédex then began to speak, **"Pidgey: The Tiny Bird Pokémon. Pidgey are generally docile and prefer to avoid conflict. If disturbed, however, they can ferociously strike back."**

After taking in this information, Ash put his Pokédex into his right pants pocket before he looked over at Eevee. His Pokémon was looking at the Pidgey with a curious, if eager, expression on its face.

Sensing his look, Eevee turned her head. "Eve Ee-V-E Eevee?"

"We're going to catch that Pokémon, Eevee." Ash answered with a grin.

"Ve!" Eevee yipped, wagging her tail, as she got up. The sound caused Pidgey to tense up slightly as Eevee rushed forward. "Eevee Ve Eevee!"

Hearing Eevee coming, Pidgey was successfully able to jump Eevee's attack by jumping to the side before it looked at Eevee with an angry expression. Eevee rushed forward once again, only for Pidgey to jump into the air—wings outstretched—before it began to hover a couple of feet above the ground.

Eevee's ears lowered in disappointment, "Eevee..."

"Gigi Gi! Pidgey Gi!" Pidgey screeched before it dived towards Eevee, a vengeful gleam in its beady little eyes.

"Eevee!" Ash called out, getting his Pokémon's attention. "You need to dodge it! Dodge and then use your Tackle attack!"

One of the things that Ash had done before he had left Professor Oak's lab was to use his newfound Pokédex to look up Eevee. He had found out that Eevee was actually a female and could use three attacks at the moment; Tackle, Tail Whip, and Helping-Hand.

Eevee yipped before she ran to the side, dodging Pidgey's own Tackle, before she raced forward. Pidgey didn't have the time to regain altitude before it was struck in the side by the full force of Eevee's body, knocking it out of the air.

Pidgey crashed on the ground, ripping up a fair amount of grass, dirt, and a little bit of dust as it skidded over the ground. Eevee yipped happily while Ash grinned.

"Nice job, Eevee!" Ash cheered. "Now, finish it off with another Tackle attack!"

Eevee nodded before it rushed towards Pidgey's downed form. By the point that Pidgey had managed to regain its footing, Eevee was only a few inches away. Pidgey chirped out in distress as Eevee tackled it again before the force of the attack sent it flying backwards.

There was a faint thud as Pidgey's body crashed against the trunk of a nearby tree—causing Pidgey to cry out again—before it slowly fell towards the earth. It was easy to see that the two Tackles, along with crashing into a tree, were too much for it.

Moving quickly, Ash removed a Poké Ball from his belt, enlarged it, and threw it towards the unconscious Pidgey. When it struck, the Poké Ball converted Pidgey into red-tinted energy that was then absorbed into it.

Dropping onto the ground with a dull thunk, the Poké Ball then began to rock back and forth. This rocking was caused by Pidgey's subconscious will fighting the Poké Ball to escape. It continued to rock, three times a second, for a couple of moments before it glowed red.

This was followed with a faint ding as the Poké Ball finally stopped rocking. It appeared as if Pidgey's will wasn't strong enough to break free after all.

It was only mere seconds after the Poké Ball had stopped rocking that Ash had realized what he had just done; he had captured his first Pokémon! He quickly walked over, picked up the Poké Ball, turned towards Eevee, and grinned.

"We did it Eevee!" Ash cheered, thrusting the Poké Ball into the air. "We did it! We caught our first Pokémon!"

Eevee yipped, "Eevee, Ee-V-E! Eevee Eve Ve Eevee!" Wagging her tail, she padded towards Ash before putting her paws onto Ash's knees. "Ve Ee-V-E!"

Ash laughed.

Further celebration was interrupted as both Trainer and Pokémon heard something going "Rat-a-Tat-Tat" behind them. Turning, Ash saw another Pokémon which was currently rummaging around through his backpack.

This Pokémon was a small, quadruped rodent. Its most notable feature was its large teeth. It had long whiskers and a long, slightly curled tail. This Pokémon also had purple fur on its back, cream-colored fur on its stomach, and crimson-colored eyes.

Ash quickly pulled out his Pokédex before he flicked it open, **"Rattata: the Mouse Pokémon. Cautious in the extreme, this Pokémon's hard vitality lets it live in any kind of environment." **

"Ve?" Eevee asked, looked up towards Ash.

"A Rattata, huh?" Ash thought aloud as he quickly put his Pokédex away. Then, looking down, he stared into Eevee's eyes. "Are you up for it, Eevee?"

"Ve, Eevee Ee-V-E!" Eevee nodded.

Ash smiled before he moved slightly, causing Eevee's forepaws to plop onto the ground. "Alright then… let's do this." Eevee's ears flattened against her head. "Now, use your Tackle attack!"

Eevee yipped excitedly before she rushed forward. However, like Pidgey had done before, Rattata dodged to the side. Unlike Pidgey, however, it hadn't heard Eevee; it had smelled her.

"Rattata!" Rattata accused with an angry frown. "Rata tatta Ra Rattata!"

With that, Rattata lunged forward as body developed a slight glow around its body. This glow seemed to somehow increase the small Pokémon's speed as it was easily able to catch up to Eevee before slamming into her.

Eevee stumbled backwards slightly before she managed to regain her balance. While Rattata's attack had hurt, it didn't pact that much of a punch yet, so she was easily able to shrug off the damage.

Rattata's eyes narrowed as it charged forward once again, "Rattata!"

"Dodge it, Eevee!" Ash quickly ordered. He waited on virtual eggshells until Eevee had obeyed, sidestepping Rattata before she got behind it. He smiled. "Good! Now, use Growl!"

Eevee opened her mouth before she let out a loud, piercing yip that quickly began to distort the area around it. This sound caused Rattata to stumble, as it was unable to dodge, before it fell over, wincing from the harsh sound.

Ash cheered, "Great job, Eevee! Now finish it off with a Tackle!"

Eevee charged Rattata once more. Now closer than she had been before, and with Rattata only just recovering from her Growl, Eevee managed to tackle it.

Like what happened with Pidgey, the force behind Eevee's Tackle sent Rattata tumbling. Skidding to a stop, Rattata recovered, slowly getting back onto its feet. By then, however, Eevee was already upon it with another Tackle.

This time, along with forcing Rattata backwards, the force behind Eevee's attack was enough to have knocked Rattata unconscious. Ash quickly unclipped another Poké Ball from his belt before he threw it towards the downed Pokémon and said:

"Go, Poké Ball!"  
After a few seconds, the Poké Ball struck Rattata before it converted the unconscious Pokémon into red energy and sucked it inside of itself. Falling towards the ground, the Poké Ball began to rock. Five seconds passed before it stopped rocking and released a ding.

Ash quickly retrieved his new Pokémon's Poké Ball before he turned towards Eevee, "Yes! We caught a Rattata!"

XXXXXX

(Later—Kanto—Viridian City)

Three hours had passed since Ash had caught Pidgey and Rattata, picked up and put away his stuff, and got back onto Route One.

He had just officially exited Route One and was about to enter Viridian City when somebody stopped him with a harsh command:

"Halt!"

Turning around, Ash caught sight of a woman with shoulder-length spiky blue hair underneath a blue policewoman's hat and teal-colored eyes. She was wearing a standard police uniform but with a knee-length skirt instead of pants.

"Before you can enter into Viridian City, I'll need to see proof of your identification." The policewoman said before extending a gloved hand. "Please hand over your Pokédex for inspection."

Not wanting any trouble, Ash obeyed; quickly taking out his Pokédex and handing it over to the policewoman. Confused and a little bit worried, he watched as she flipped his Pokédex open and then press a few buttons.

After a moment, the Pokédex spoke. **"I am Dexter, the Pokédex programmed by Professor Oak for Pokémon Trainer Ash Ketchum. I have been programmed to provide Ash with information about Pokemon. If lost or stolen, I cannot be replaced."**

The policewoman nodded before she sighed—apparently not getting the information that she wanted—and pressed another few buttons.

"**Ash Ketchum has captured a total of three Pokémon; he received Eevee as his Starter Pokémon while catching a Pidgey and a Rattata in the wild." **

With that, the policewoman nodded before she gave Ash his Pokédex back. "Sorry about that. It's just that Viridian City has been experiencing a lot of Team Rocket activity as of late. I had to make sure you weren't stealing that Eevee."

"That's okay, Officer… Uh…." Ash furrowed his eyebrows. "What is your name again?"

This actually caused the policewoman to blush slightly, gloved hands moving to rub the back of her head sheepishly. "Oh, sorry… My name is Officer Suzanne Jenny—one of the Officer Jenny that patrol Viridian City." Calming, she then asked. "Now, can I help you with anything young man?"

"Yeah. Do you know where the nearest Pokemon Center is?" Ash asked.

"That's easy! All you have to do is continue on this street for a couple of blocks. The Pokémon Center will be the huge roof that looks like a Poké Ball." Officer Jenny informed. "You really can't miss it."

Ash nodded—repeating the information in his head—before he smiled, "Thanks for your help, Officer Jenny!" Turning, he began walking into Viridian City proper. "C'mon, Eevee; let's go!"

"Stay out of trouble!"

XXXXXXX

(Meanwhile—Kanto—Viridian City)

A little over 300 feet in the air above Officer Jenny's guard station was a giant, Meowth-shaped balloon with three figures standing inside of it. Two of these three figures appeared to be humans while the third was a Pokémon that stood on its hind-legs.

The two humans were currently staring a wanted poster that they had just used a fishing wire to remove from Officer Jenny's guard station. Staring at it, it was like they were looking in a mirror.

After a few moments, the female figure crumbled the poster into a large ball before she threw it over her shoulder.

"A wanted poster… how flattering." The woman sneered.

"Flattering?" The man asked as if offended. "This picture makes me look terrible!"

The woman smirked, "Then you should be happy that the photographer captured the real you!"

"Exactly."

There was a moment of silence before the woman looked down at the lighted, sleeping city underneath their balloon. "We'll show these bumpkins."

"The people of Viridian City will be sorry that they ever had to see this face." The man agreed as he wiped a lock of lavender-colored hair away from his eyes.

"We are all sorry to your face, James!" The Pokémon hissed as it came up from behind the two humans, looking at them disapprovingly. "You two need to stay focused! We're here to capture rare, valuable, or unusual Pokémon! Don't ever forget that! Me-owth!"

"Absolutely!" The woman replied.

"But of course!" The man—James—said.

"And just remember…" The Pokémon warned. "That I'm the top cat around here!"

XXXXXX

(Later—With Ash Ketchum)

Following Officer Jenny's directions, it had been really easy to find the Pokémon Center. And, she was right, you couldn't miss it. After all, who would miss the sign reading "Pokémon Center" just below the enormous Poké Ball-like roof?

Ash walked up to the building through its paved courtyard, watched as the solid glass doors slide open with a brief hiss, and entered the lobby.

The lobby itself had polished green tiles as floor and light yellow walls that were supported up by a few yellow columns. In the middle of the lobby was the reception desk with staircases—and a small catwalk—on either sides of it.

Standing behind the reception desk was a woman with pink hair tied into two loops underneath a white nurse's hat and blue eyes. She was wearing a pale pink shirt underneath a white dress and white slippers.

"Hello young man." The nurse greeted with a faint, polite smile on her face. "My name is Nurse Joy. How may I help you?"

"Could you heal my Pokémon, Nurse Joy?" Ash asked.

"Just hand me your Pokémon honey." Nurse Joy answered. "It shouldn't take more than fifteen minutes."

Ash nodded before he quickly unclipped Pidgey and Rattata's Poké Balls from his belt and put them on the counter. He then told Eevee to hold onto the counter—which she did—before Nurse Joy retrieved a metal tray from underneath the desk.

Nurse Joy enlarged his two Poké Balls to their full sizes before she put them into two of the six spherical holes in the tray. She then picked up Eevee before putting her on top of a third hole.

"I'll be back in a few minutes, honey." Nurse Joy stated as she took the tray and walked towards the door near the mural behind her desk.

"Thank you, Nurse Joy!"

"No need to thank me, honey; it's what I do!" Nurse Joy said, waving off his thanks, before she disappeared through the door.

XXXXXX

(Meanwhile—Kanto—Pallet Town—Ketchum Residence)

"**Ring, ring, ring! Phone call! Phone call! Ring, ring, ring! Phone call! Phone Call! Ring, Ring—"**

The Video Phone's annoying little ditty was rudely interrupted when Delia—dressed in a bathrobe with her hair wrapped in a towel—picked up the receiver. Before she did though, she made sure that the phone was on "audio only" so the person on the other end wouldn't see her.

"Hello? This is the Ketchum residence. How may I help you?" Delia asked.

"Hi, Mom."

"Ash!" Delia happily cried as she quickly removed the towel from her hair before flipping her hair behind her ears. Then, she turned on the video feed, coming face to face with her son a few seconds later. "Hi honey! Is everything alright with you? Where are you?"

"I'm alright, Mom. And I'm at the Pokémon Center—in Viridian City." Ash answered.

"… You're already in Viridian City, Ash?" Delia asked, shocked. "It took your father and I days to get there when we started our journeys… Oh, your father will be so proud when I tell him the good news." She smiled. "You know you're the apple in his eye!"

"Really? I didn't know that." Ash said.

"Mm-hm. You're father had a VERY unwilling Bulbasaur as his Starter Pokémon… you do remember his Venusaur, don't you?" Ash nodded. "Well, that was his Bulbasaur."  
"Really? What made Bulbasaur listen to him?" Ash asked.

Delia smiled, "Your father saved it from a wild Raticate on the third day of his own journey. After that, they became the best of friends."

'_I wonder why he never told me that…_' Ash thought.

"Anyways, your dad will be so happy when I tell him you made it to Viridian in less than a day since you started your own Pokémon journey!" Delia continued on.

"You think so?" Ash asked.

Delia nodded, "I know so, sweetie. And have a good night…" She smiled at Ash, tears prickling the edges of her eyes. "I love you, honey."

"I love you to, Mom. And I will."

With that, Delia ended their video chat before she began pressing a small sequence of numbers. She needed to make a phone call to a certain someone to tell him of the news.

XXXXXX

(Unova—Striaton City—Pokémon Center)

"Ash already made it to Viridian City?" Jonathan Ketchum asked as he stared at his wife—through the Video Phone—with a shocked expression on his face.

Jonathan was a rather tall, tan man with spiky black hair and dark-blue eyes. He was wearing a simple white, button-down shirt, a pair of black slacks with a belt, and black shoes.

"He did." Delia affirmed.

Jonathan sat down on the stool next to him, stunned. Despite his best efforts, it had taken him at least four days to get to Viridian City when he had begun his own journey. For his son to make it there in less than a day, it was simply extraordinary.

"That's amazing." Jonathan whispered. After a couple of moments, he lifted his head. "Which Starter Pokémon did he chose? Has he caught anything yet?"

Deliver smiled, "Well… he didn't actually get one of the three basic Starter Pokémon… instead, he got an Eevee." Ignoring Jonathan's questioning glance, she continued on. "And yes, I do think he caught two Pokémon… but he didn't tell me what. I'll have to ask him the next time he calls."

Jonathan nodded, stroking his beard. With that information it only made Ash's quick arrival to Viridian City all the more impressive.

"Can you send him my regards, sweetie? Tell him how proud I am?" Jonathan asked. "I would myself but I'm kinda busy at the moment…"

XXXXXX  
(Meanwhile—With Ash Ketchum)

After finishing his call to his mother, Ash had been drawn to the mural that stood on the computer screen behind the reception desk. The mural showed what appeared to be four ancient Pokémon carved onto four different colored stones.

'_I wonder why that bird Pokémon is so familiar looking.'_ Ash mused to himself, frowning. _'I know I haven't seen it before. So, why...'_

Further thought was interrupted as the computer started to blare with an all-too familiar ring, **"Ring, ring, ring! Phone call! Phone call! Ring, ring, ring! Phone call! Phone call! Ring—!"**

Having made his way over to the computer, Ash quickly pressed a couple buttons before he saw the words "audio only" flash across the screen.

"Uh… hello. This is Ash Ketchum… Who's calling?" Ash asked.

"Here! I'm over here, Ash!"

Hearing the voice coming from behind, Ash turned around, only to see that the lower-left drawing of the mural had been replaced. Instead of the stone that depicted an ancient Pokémon was what looked like a live feed of Professor Oak's laboratory. At the moment, Professor Oak was looking at a screen that had Ash's face on it, seemingly unaware that Ash could only see the aged Professor's backside.

"Don't you recognize me, Ash?" Professor Oak asked. "I mean, we only saw each other just this morning!"

Ash smirked, "No Professor, I didn't recognize the back of your head!"

"Huh?" Professor Oak asked, turning around. "Oops! Wrong camera!" Pressing a button, the screen shifted to show Professor Oak's face. "There! I just finished speaking to your father. He told me that you had made it to the Pokémon Center in Viridian City. Is that true?"

"Yep. 'Cause that's where I am." Ash nodded.

"I see… the other Pokémon Trainers from Pallet Town have also arrived there. I'm certainly surprised that you got there so soon Ash… I had my doubts that you could handle the Eevee I gave you."

"Huh?" Ash asked, confused.

"After I told Gary that you had gotten your own Pokémon, he insisted that you wouldn't be able to catch a single Pokémon by the time you got to Viridian City." Professor Oak smiled. "So I bet him 1 million that he'd be wrong!"

Ash's eyes widened, "Really?" Upon seeing the Professor nod, Ash allowed a huge grin to spread across his face. "Well, Professor… you won your bet; I caught two Pokémon!" Then, seeing Professor Oak's inquiring expression, he elaborated. "A Pidgey and a Rattata."

"Yes! I knew I was right in giving you that Eevee!" Professor Oak cheered happily. "I knew you could do it!"

Further conversation was halted when Professor Oak's doorbell began to ring. Professor Oak quickly said goodbye before he rushed to the stairway and towards his door.

"That must be my pizza!" Professor Oak exclaimed, only for the doorbell to ring again. "Just wait a minute; I'm coming!"

It was only a minute later when Ash heard Professor Oak returning up to his lab—admiring the toppings that he had chosen for his pizza. He shivered at the combination just before the screen went blank.

'_Who puts anchovies, spinach, and pineapples on a pizza?'_ Ash asked himself.

* * *

Ash's Pokémon Team 

Eevee (Female): Level Six.

Attacks: Tail Whip (Normal), Tackle (Normal), Growl (Normal), and Helping-Hand (Normal).

Pidgey (Male): Level Five.

Attacks: Tackle (Normal), and Sand-Attack (Ground).

Rattata (Male): Level Four.

Attacks: Tackle (Normal), Tail Whip (Normal), and Quick Attack (Normal).

* * *

**A/N: Author's Note: **So, that's the end of chapter two! Tell me what you think; comments, how I could make it better… you know. That stuff. This chapter was updated as of 5/08/2012.


	3. Chapter Three:

Disclaimer: I do not, nor have I ever, owned anything related to Nintendo's _Pokémon_ franchise.

* * *

Legend:

"A human or a Pokémon is talking."

'_A human or a Pokémon is thinking.'_

"**A machine is being used."**

* * *

Chapter Three:

* * *

(Viridian City—Pokémon Center—Lobby)

"**Will Ash Ketchum please report to the reception desk: your Pokémon are ready."**

Ash looked up from the old copy of _Viridian, Today_ only to notice that Nurse Joy had returned to her position behind the reception desk. Quickly getting up, he put the magazine back onto the coffee table before he went over to collect his Pokémon.

When he got to the desk, Nurse Joy smiled at him before she handed him the tray that contained his Pokémon. He barely got the chance to re-clip Pidgey and Rattata's Poké Balls back onto his belt before Eevee lunged at him.

"Eevee, Eve Ee-V-E Ve Eevee!" Eevee greeted as she landed on her Trainer's shoulder before she began to tell him about her recent experience. "Eevee Eve Ve-E Eevee V, Ee-V-E! Eevee!"

Ash laughed, "It's nice to see you too, Eevee! And I'm glad you seemed to have a good time." Eevee nodded, yipping. "So…" Ash said as he looked back at Nurse Joy. "Thanks for healing my Pokémon."

"It wasn't a problem." Nurse Joy responded as she once-again waved off his thanks. "Now, is there anything else I can help you with, sweetie?"

"Um…" Ash thought about it for a moment. Did he need anything else? After a moment it came to him: he still needed to find a place to sleep. "… Do you know if there was a place nearby where I could check in for the night? A place that doesn't cost too much…" He looked down. "I don't have a lot of money right now…"

Nurse Joy's face softened, "Pokémon Centers aren't just places where people go to get their Pokémon healed. They are also places where Pokémon Trainers, like you, can rest between activities." She explained. "Each Center offers free food and lodging to each and any Pokémon Trainer that requests it."

Relieved, Ash smiled up at Nurse Joy.

"Could I please get a room?"

Before Nurse Joy had the chance to answer him, a high-pitched, wailing alarm began to blare. Eevee put her paws over her ears—the sound hurting them—while Ash turned a confused, worried glance towards Nurse Joy.

What was happening?

**"Your attention please! Our Viridian City Radar system has detected an aircraft of Pokémon Thieves heading towards the Pokémon Center."**

XXXXXX

(Meanwhile—With Team Rocket)

Jessie smirked as she heard the numerous alarms that had begun to blare. Accompanying this was the multitude of people that had begun to run about, like bees swarming out of their hives. It was quite amusing to watch, really.

"I guess that we woke up this sleepy dump." Jessie remarked.

James crossed his arms with a frown, "How dare they act like we're criminals?" He scoffed. "They should welcome Team Rocket!"

"We'll teach them to respect that name." Jessie assured.

Meowth smirked as he lifted a paw to inspect his recently-sharpened claws. Finding them acceptable for what was to come, he put his file away. Turning, he addressed his two human companions:

"Me-owth! When we snatch all of their Pokémon, those scared little mice will know that I'm the top cat!"

"We know, Meowth, we know."

With that, both Jesse and James grabbed a Poké Ball before they tossed them into the air. They then watched as gravity pulled them below. It was only a couple of moments later when the spiraling orbs crashed through the skylight of the Pokémon Center, sending shards of glass in every direction.

Jessie turned, "Let's go, James."

"Of course."

XXXXXX

(At the same time—With Ash and Nurse Joy)

Shortly after the alarm had gone off, the skylight had exploded into shards of glass that fell upon the lobby like rain. It had been luck that none of the glass hurt anyone, though it had left a few little nicks and scratches.

When they were recovering from the sudden attack, two Poké Balls hit the floor, drawing everyone's attention. In two flashes of red-colored light, two different Pokémon were released.

The first was a round, purple Pokémon that was floating in mid-air with a blissful expression on its face. It had several, crater-like protrusions all over it small body with a few along them releasing a faint, black gas. To complete its look, there was a white skull-and-crossbones symbol underneath its face.

"Koffing!"

The second Pokémon greatly resembled a rattlesnake. It had a yellow rattle at the tip of its tail, and was mostly purple. Also, this Pokémon's underbelly, eyes, and the "bands" on its body were yellow.

"Ekans!"

Before anyone could react to these two Pokémon's sudden appearance, the small round one—Koffing—quickly began to fly around the lobby. While this happened, black smog poured from the crater-like protrusions on its body to make an effective smokescreen.

Coughing from the smoke, Ash managed to hear two something's land with a thud before he heard footsteps.

"It's the… the Pokémon Thieves!" Nurse Joy coughed.

"Prepare for trouble!"

"Make it double!"

"To protect the world from devastation!"

"To unite all peoples within our nation!"

"To denounce the evils of truth and love!"

"To extend our reach to the stars above!"

"Jessie!"

"James!"

"Team Rocket, blast off at the speed light!"

"Surrender now or prepare to fight!"

"Meowth, that's right!"

By this point, Koffing's smokescreen had cleared enough to reveal the Pokémon Thieves—Team Rocket—to both Ash and Nurse Joy.

Jessie was a woman with dark-blue eyes and magenta-colored hair that was styled in a ponytail that ended at her hip. She was wearing a white shirt with a red "R" on it, a white skirt with a black belt, elbow-length black gloves, and thigh-length black boots.

James was a man with short, lavender hair and purple-colored eyes. He was wearing a long-sleeved white shirt with a red "R" on it, white pants with a black belt, elbow-length black gloves, and black boots.

Meowth had a feline appearance and, unlike the others of its kind that Ash had seen, was standing on its hind-legs. It had cream-colored fur, which turns brown at its paws and tail tip. Its oval-shaped head features four prominent whiskers, no nose, black-and-brown ears, and a glimmering gold oval coin embedded in its forehead.

Koffing floated at James' side while Ekans was at rest near Jessie's heals, though they looked ready to attack at any moment. In fact, all of them appeared ready—eager even—to attack.

James stepped forward before he extended an arm, "We're not here to cause any trouble, really. We are here for the Pokémon." He said, as if it wasn't a big deal. "Like I said earlier, either surrender the Pokémon or… prepare for battle."

"You're wasting your time here!" Nurse Joy exclaimed angrily. "This is a place for sick, weak, or injured Pokémon!"

Jessie smirked, crossing her arms, as Ekans hissed at Nurse Joy. "Well, that may be so, but I wouldn't be too surprised if we found a few little Pokémon gems amongst all of the trash."

"Eevee…" Eevee's ears flattened against her head.  
Ash's eyes narrowed, gritting his teeth slightly. "Your guys are starting to bug me."  
"Ve, Eevee Ve Ee-V-E Eve Eevee!" Eevee growled as she quickly jumped onto the ground. "Ve Eevee Ee-Vee!"

"Isn't that cute James?" Jessie cooed as she turned towards her partner, a twisted form of amusement present on her face. "The little boy's bugged!"

Meowth brought out his claws, "Me-owth! Then let's squash 'em!"

That was all the warning Ash, Eevee, and Nurse Joy got before Koffing flew forward, black smog trailing from its body. This smog quickly overtook the lobby—effectively hiding Team Rocket from sight—causing those within it to start coughing again.

Behind Ash, Eevee, and Nurse Joy was Ekans, who was now using its abilities to destroy the reception desk. The computers were smashed, wires ripped out, and the desk smashed into a small pieces.

Ash felt Nurse Joy grab his hand before she began to tug him away, "C'mon Ash: we need to get out of here!" Nurse Joy whispered, looking a bit fearful. "We're no match for them!"

"Alright…" Ash reluctantly agreed.

However, before either of them could do anything, Jessie and James suddenly leapt out of the smog and landed before them. Identical smirks aligned the faces of both Rocket Grunts as they stared at the frightened expression on Nurse Joy's face.

"And where do you think that your go—!" Jessie began.

Before Jessie was able to complete her question, she was suddenly attacked by something that threw her back into Koffing's smog. She would crash-land on a nearby leather couch, winded, but otherwise okay.

James was dealt with in a similar way. Despite the fact that he dodged whatever had attacked his partner, he was forced back by a massive gust of wind. He crashed into Jessie—who had just gotten up—which sent stumbling back into the couch.

Turning, Ash followed the thing that had saved him and Nurse Joy. It was actually a rather large, bird-like Pokémon. He didn't have to wonder as to where it came from as the Pokémon landed before a Trainer who was only partially hidden by the smog.

The Pokémon Trainer in question had chin-length brown-colored hair that was tied into a neat ponytail and dark-green eyes. He was wearing a dark-green shirt, a pair of baggy, black pants with a belt, and brown boots.

"Good job, Pidgeot." The Trainer called out to his Pokémon.

The bird Pokémon—Pidgeot— thrilled out in appreciation before it landed before its Trainer with a thud, adopting a somewhat intimidating stance. Now, standing with its wing's outstretched while it glared at the recovering Rocket Grunts, Ash was able to get a good look at it.

Being the final evolution of Pidgey, Pidgeot bore a striking resemblance to it, though it was far larger than any Pidgey. Another difference was in the fact that Pidgeot's plumage was larger and glossier. Also, the feathers on its head-crest were nearly as long as its body, and were yellow and red, while its tail feathers were red. Like its previous evolutions, its underbelly is a tan color, and it has black markings around its eyes.

Jessie sneered at Pidgeot's Trainer, "You think that overgrown bird scares us, kid?"

"Pidgeot doesn't need to scare you." The brown-haired Trainer responded. "Pidgeot and I just need to beat you!" Before Jessie or James could react, he was already issuing out an order. "Quick-Attack!"

"Pidgeot!"

With that, Pidgeot jumped up into the air, its body starting to glow a faint white. The Pokémon then angled its wings so that it would add onto its temporary speed before it dive-bombed the two Rocket Grunts.

While this was happening, the brown-haired Trainer had turned to Ash and Nurse Joy. "Go! Take Nurse Joy and makes sure she stays safe!" He frowned. "I'll take care of these clowns."

Not knowing what to say, Ash simply nodded before he and Eevee quickly followed Nurse Joy out of the lobby. He knew that, despite his feelings to stay and fight, he wasn't currently a match for Jessie and James.

Running down a hallway with Nurse Joy, Ash just hoped that the brown-haired Pokémon Trainer would be alright.

XXXXXX

(Later—Pokémon Center—Poké Ball Room)

After they had escaped from the lobby, Nurse Joy had quickly led Ash down a small series of hallways before they appeared in what the Nurse called the "Poké Ball Room". It was fitting, considering the contents of the room.

The room itself had multiple metal rows which each row seemingly holding about fifty to a hundred Poké Balls. In the way back of the room was a long, metal countertop that held a small conveyer belt, a Poké Ball Transporter machine, and a computer.

While Nurse Joy had gone to the back of the room—and was now typing on the computer—Ash had been assigned the duty of guarding the entrance. If Jessie and James made it this far, his job would be to stall them as long as he possibly could.

However, after a couple of minutes, the lights in the room and the hallway beyond it suddenly turned off. Flicking the light switch a couple of times and getting no change, it was apparent that somebody had cut the power.

Team Rocket had cut the power.

Nurse Joy frowned, "They must have cut the power…" There was a very brief pause before she brightened. "But, that's okay; we have our own Pika-Pika Power!"

With that, Nurse Joy quickly walked over to a nearby machine that appeared to have been built into the wall before she pulled a lever. This, in turn, caused the top of the machine to retract into the wall, revealing a small circular track.

A small ring of Poké Balls on the track then popped open, releasing the Pokémon inside of them, before the Poké Balls were retracted inside the machine. The newly-released Pokémon grabbed onto the bar situated before them—connected to a small rod in the middle of the machine—before they began to run in place.

All of this had happened in less than seconds.

This machine converted the Pokémon's energy into electricity before, acting like an emergency generator, restored the power. As Nurse Joy went back to her desk, her computer rebooted from the sudden loss of power it had went through.

Once Nurse Joy had logged back in, she began typing for another minute before a mechanical voice began to speak:

"**A crisis situation has arisen. Initiating Poké Ball transport sequence."**

Startled by the sudden voice, Ash turned around, only to see a mechanical arm come down from the roof, grab a Poké Ball, and then put it on the conveyer belt. Then, after travelling the same distance to the Poké Ball transport machine, the Poké Ball was sent off in a flash of white light.

"This is the Viridian City Pokémon Center. We have an emergency situation!" Nurse Joy said as she continued to type. "Transporting Poké Balls!"

"**This is the Pewter City Pokémon Center. We are ready to receive your Poké Balls."**

With that, ten more mechanical arms dropped down from the ceiling and began grabbing Poké Balls before putting them on the conveyer belt. These extra arms increased the speed tremendously and, within a couple of minutes, only thirty Poké Balls remained in the room.

Just when it looked like that all of the Poké Balls would be transferred without any interference, smog began to seep in through the entrance.

Ash's eyes widened slightly before he turned—about to warn Nurse Joy—when the doors exploded open. Koffing quickly flew into the room before it crashed into a nearby, empty shelf and knocked it over. This seemed to cause a domino effect as all of the shelves near it began to fall down as well, scattering some of the remaining Poké Balls all over the floor.

Seconds later, both Jessie and James walked into the room. While their uniforms did look a bit ruffled and they had a few scratches—and bruises—on them, they didn't look tired in the least. Neither did their Pokémon.

Seeing what was going on, James knew he and Jessie had to act quickly. "Koffing! Use Smog!"

Koffing nodded before it began releasing a thick, black smog and began to fly around the room. While this was happening, James gave Jessie a curt nod and then ran into the smog to snatch some of the remaining Poké Balls.

Jessie would need to assure their escape. To do that, she knew that she was expected to somehow knock out the power, again. She would also be responsible for dealing with the black-haired pest in front of her.

"Ekans, attack! Scatter those Pikachu!" Jessie ordered—having spotted the furry yellow rodents and correctly deducing that they had brought the power back on.

Ekans hissed obligingly before it began to slither towards the Pikachu.

"Stop it, Eevee!" Ash ordered quickly. "Use your Tackle attack!"  
However, before Ekans had made it that far, it was intercepted by Eevee whom tackled the snake-like Pokémon into a nearby wall. Jessie frowned before her eyebrow twitched slightly. Normally Ekans could have easily twisted out of the way of such an attack.

It appeared that Ekans had wasted more energy against that boy's Pidgeot than she had originally thought it had.

Ash grinned, "Good job, Eevee! Now, use your Scratch attack!"

"Dodge it and then use Wrap!" Jessie countered.

Hissing, Ekans sluggishly twisted out of the way of Eevee's claws before it lunged forward and began to wrap its body around Eevee. Then, having immobilized Eevee, Ekans constricted, beginning to suffocate Eevee.

Ash's eyes widened, "Eevee!"

"What are you going to do now, boy?" Jessie taunted with a triumphant sneer. "Face the facts; you've lost!"

Ash looked down at the floor—gritting his teeth—as he wondered what he could do. If he withdrew Eevee back into her Poké Ball, then Ekans would be able to go after those Pikachu. He shut his prickling eyes when he heard Eevee whimper, the sound sending little needles stabbing into his heart.

'_What do I do? I can't let them knock out the power… but I can't let Ekans hurt Eevee either!' _Ash thought.

"PI-KA-CHU!"

With that shout, an enormous bolt of pure electricity pierced through Koffing's smog before it struck Ekans and Eevee's immobile forms. The power within the attack was such that it knocked out both Pokémon in a single go.

Ash quickly took out Eevee's Poké Ball, "Eevee, return", before he watched as his unconscious Pokémon was drawn into the safety of her Poké Ball.

Frowning, Jessie recalled her own Pokémon before she turned around to see a small group of Pikachu emerge from the smog. Beady, black eyes narrowed as their red cheek-sacks sparked at the very sight of Jessie.

"Pika Pi Pkachu!"  
"Pi Pikachu!"

"Chu!"

Jessie scoffed, "You think that you little rodents scare me? Please, I've seen scarier things inside a Daycare."

Ash took the opportunity to quickly release his Pidgey as the Pikachu advanced on Jessie. He then ordered for Pidgey to clear the room of smog. Pidgey obliged dutifully his order by flying around the room, dispelling the smog, before it came to rest on the ground before him.

With the smog gone, James was revealed to be standing in the back of the room with a bulging, white cloth sack over one shoulder. Nurse Joy's prone body lay on the floor next to her computer chair, unconscious, with a growing purple bruise on her forehead.

"So, it appears as if I've been discovered…" James muttered to himself before looking up. "What are you going to do now, kid?" He asked curiously. "Are you going to try and stop me or are you going to check on the Pokémon Nurse?"

Pidgey made that choice easily as it angrily flew towards James. James barely got the chance to back up half a step before Pidgey was upon him, scratching James with its talons.

So, while Pidgey distracted James, Ash quickly navigated his way through the room to check on Nurse Joy. He managed to get her back into her chair before he shook her slightly, trying to get her to wake up as he called her name out worriedly.

After a couple of moments, Nurse Joy's eyes fluttered, opened slightly, before she groaned. Her arms snaked up and then her hands clutched her head, taking in the room with blurred vision.

"Wha…" She muttered weakly. "What happened?"

"I think that James hit you in the head."

By this point, Jessie and James knew that they had been beat. So, knowing this, they quickly fled the room.

To make her escape, Jessie picked up a small metal pipe before she lashed out, sending one Pikachu towards its companions and then rushed out the door. On his way towards the door, James was forced to drop his ripped bag of stolen Poké Balls, which severely irritated him.

XXXXXX

(Meanwhile—In the Lobby)

Meowth was currently sitting on the counter of the reception desk, absently filing his claws as he awaited the return of Jessie and James. Hearing a groan, he looked down at a bound and gagged Pokémon Trainer, and sighed.

'_It was lucky that the brat was so inexperienced with his Pidgeot. If he wasn't, then we could have been forced to retreat.' _Meowth thought to himself with a frown. _'Still, we wasted valuable time dealing with him…'_

Meowth was interrupted from his thoughts when he heard footsteps. Turning, he saw Jessie and James emerge from a nearby doorway followed by a small horde of angry Pikachu.

Eyes narrowing, Meowth got up. "What's going on here?"

Without responding, James rushed by and picked Meowth of the counter and then, holding Meowth close, jumped to avoid a Thunderbolt attack.

"This operation is a failure!"

"What happened?" Meowth demanded to know.

"The Nurse managed to transport the majority of the Poké Balls before we got there. Once I got her, Jessie distracted the kid for a bit while I knocked her out and collected the remaining Poké Balls." James reported dutifully. "Jessie beat the kid but then these Pikachu detained her." He dodged to avoid another Thunderbolt. "The kid then released a Pidgey before it attacked me and ripped the bag open. I had to leave it behind."

"PIKACHU!"

Running out of the Pokémon Center, Team Rocket barely managed to avoid the numerous Thunderbolts from the Pikachu that were pursuing them. '_Stupid electric rats!'_

* * *

Ash's Pokémon Team

Eevee (Female): Level Six.

Attacks: Scratch (Normal), Tail Whip (Normal), Tackle (Normal), Growl (Normal), and Helping-Hand (Normal).

Pidgey (Male): Level Five.

Attacks: Tackle (Normal), and Sand-Attack (Ground).

Rattata (Male): Level Four.

Attacks: Tackle (Normal), Tail Whip (Normal), and Quick Attack (Normal).

Jessie's Pokémon Team:

Ekans (Male): Level 20

Attacks: Wrap (Normal), Leer (Normal), and Poison Sting (Poison).

James' Pokémon Team:

Koffing (Male): Level 20

Attacks: Tackle (Normal), Smog (Poison), and Selfdestruct (Normal).

?'s Pokémon Team:

Pidgeot (Female): Level 30.

Attacks: Tackle (Normal), Sand-Attack (Ground), Gust (Flying), Quick Attack (Normal), and Agility (Psychic).

* * *

**A/N: Author's Note: **Welp... that's the end of this chapter! Tell me how you guy's liked it in your reviews! This chapter was updated as of 5/10/2012.


	4. Chapter Four:

Disclaimer: I do not, nor have I ever, owned anything related to Nintendo's _Pokémon_ franchise.

* * *

Legend:

"A human or a Pokémon is talking."

'_A human or a Pokémon is thinking.'_

"**A machine is being used."**

* * *

Chapter Four:

* * *

_Team Rocket attacks the Viridian Pokémon Center!_

_Written by: Jacob Smith._

* * *

_At nine pm yesterday evening, the Viridian City radar system managed to detect a Meowth-shaped balloon that was heading towards the Pokémon center. Alarms blared across the city, warning the city of the danger. However, before the police could arrive, _Team Rocket_ attacked._

_According to reports, the two Rockets used the Poison-Type _Ekans (See Pg. 3) _and_ Koffing (See Pg. 4) _to break into the Pokémon Center._

_After breaking in, the two Rockets briefly talked to the resident _Nurse Joy_ and a new, rookie Pokémon Trainer from Pallet Town: _Ash Ketchum. _Soon after, the two Rockets ordered their Pokémon to attack, who then began to destroy the lobby._

Nurse Joy_ attempted to lead_ Ash Ketchum_ to safety, only for the Rockets to get in there way. However, before the Rockets could hurt them, a Pokémon Trainer from Cerulean City, _Jimmy Sanders_ stepped in with a _Pidgeot (See Pg. 5).

Nurse Joy_ and _Ash Ketchum_ fled to the Poké Ball room, where the Nurse began to transport Poké Balls to the Pewter City Pokémon Center. _Ash Ketchum_ stood guard with his _Eevee (See Pg. 6)_ to stall for time incase Team Rocket found them. _

* * *

_In the end, _Officer Jenny_ found _Jimmy Sanders_ in the lobby of the Pokemon Center. She quickly freed him from his bindings, made sure that he was okay, before she asked what happened. _Ash Ketchum_ and _Nurse Joy_ were later found, in the Poké Ball Room, and given the same treatment._

Nurse Joy_ has reported that _Team Rocket_ did not steal any Poké Balls .Most of the Poké Balls had been transferred before _Team Rocket_ found them, and _Ash Ketchum_ stopped the thieves from getting away with some Poké Balls with his _Pidgey (See Pg. 7).

* * *

(Viridian City—Pokémon Center—Lobby)

"I told you already!" Nurse Joy began with an uncharacteristically annoyed expression on her face. "Jimmy Sanders and Ash Ketchum are NOT here! And—" Seeing that a journalist was about to speak up, she continued. "I will not tell you all where they went either!"

Piers Tomoe, reporter for _the National Enquirer_, took a step forward. "How do we know that you aren't lying to us about the whereabouts of the two Pokémon Trainers, Ms. Joy?"

Nurse Joy actually scowled at this question. She really disliked dealing with the press, especially when she had sick Pokémon that were in need of her attention.

"Why would I lie to you?" Nurse Joy asked, hands on her hips. "Ash Ketchum left just this morning while Jimmy Sanders checked out last night. Now, I have answered enough questions! There are sick Pokémon that I NEED to attend to." She turned. "Good day to you."

"Ms. Joy! Ms. Joy, please! Could you give us some more details?" Piers begged. "Like… like what they look like? Or… or what other Pokémon they have?"

"No!"

XXXXXX

(Meanwhile—Kanto—Viridian Forest)

It was the morning after Team Rocket had withdrawn that Ash had left Viridian City. One could now find him in the Viridian Forest, looking at a map of the area that brown-haired Pokémon Trainer—Jimmy Sanders—had given him.

It was that map, alongside a compass that Nurse Joy had been kind enough to give him, that was allowing him to cut through the forest relatively quickly.

Eevee, sitting on Ash's shoulder, sniffed the air. "Ve, Ee-V-E? Eve Eve-E-Ve!"

Hearing this, Ash looked up from his map before looking around; attempting to see what Eevee was trying to show him. After a moment, he turned back to his Pokémon.

"I don't see anything, Eevee."

Eevee's nose scrunched up before she jerked her head forward, "Ve!" She demanded, lifting a paw to point at something. "Ve, Eevee Ve!"

Following her paw, Ash looked again—eyes squinting—before he saw what Eevee was talking about. A little bit away from them was a bush that rustled softly. After a moment, a small bug-like Pokémon crawled out of the brush.

The Pokémon was a small, brown, and serpentine-like larva with a segmented body. It had dark, circular eyes, numerous little feet and a large pink, round nose. It also had a poisonous stinger on both its tail and head.

Curious as to what the Pokémon was, Ash took out his Pokédex. **"Weedle: The Hairy Bug Pokémon. It eats its weight in leaves every day. It fends off attackers with the needle on its head."**

"Let's do it, Eevee!" Ash said as he quickly put away his Pokédex.

Eevee jumped off his shoulder with a yip, scattering and crunching the leaves underneath it. At this noise, Weedle's beady little eyes narrowed before it turned around to face Eevee.

"We-dle!"

"Start off with a Scratch attack!" Ash ordered.

Eevee nodded and then rushed forward, claws extending from her fore-paws. Weedle dodged to the side to avoid Eevee's first strike before it brought up its tail and attempted to drive the poisonous bard into Eevee's head.

"Dodge it, Eevee!" Ash cried out. He watched as Eevee just barely managed to avoid to the side, getting out of Weedle's rang, before making his move. "Now, use Tackle!"  
Eevee obliged, with the force behind her attack easily sending Weedle stumbling across the leaf-strewn clearing. Crashing against a rock, it stilled for a moment, before shaking it off. Then, growling, Weedle opened its mouth before it began shooting a white, string-like material from its mouth.

"Dodge it, Eevee!"

Eevee tried to dodge but, unfortunately, she wasn't fast enough to avoid it. The white material stuck to Eevee's right fore-paw, preventing her escape. Weedle stopped spewing the material for a moment and, with a mighty tug, pulled its head—hauling Eevee towards it—with a mighty "snap".

Watching as Eevee went flying towards Weedle, who put up its stinger in an attempt to make Eevee's landing extra-painful, caused Ash's eyes to narrow. That clenched it; he had to capture that Weedle now.

Ash quickly pulled out Eevee's Poké Ball, "Eevee, return!"

Moments before impact, Eevee was absorbed into her Poké Ball, leaving an empty "rope" of the material lying around Weedle. Weedle looked up at Ash angrily as he pulled out another Poké Ball before he released the Pokémon inside.

"Go, Pidgey!"

Materializing in a flash of white light, Pidgey quickly jumped into the air where he stayed, flapping his wings to stay afloat. Weedle glared at him before it prepared another String-Shot.

Ash frowned, "That won't work this time! Pidgey, dodge it!"

"Gigi, Pidgey!" Pidgey cried as it banked to the left, dodging Weedle's attack.

"Alright!" Ash cheered. He then ordered, "Now, use your Sand-Attack!"

With that, Pidgey stopped before it began to flap its wings at a furious speed with the wind sending loose dirt and leaves all over the clearing. Coughing, Ash covered his mouth with his jacket, watching as Pidgey flew above the dirt cloud with squinted eyes.

"Good! Now… Tackle it!" Ash ordered.

Pidgey nodded, "Pidgey!"

Only seconds later, Pidgey dived down towards Weedle headfirst while Weedle was still blinded by his makeshift smokescreen. The force behind Pidgey's Tackle, while not as powerful as Eevee's, was enough to send Weedle flying.

Ten seconds later, Weedle hit the ground with a thud. Unlike last time however, this time Weedle was unable to get back up, as it was exhausted. After a moment, it slumped to the ground, swirls in its eyes.

Ash smiled, pulling out a Poké Ball. "Great job, Pidgey!"

Without any further ado, Ash threw the Poké Ball at Weedle before he watched as Weedle was absorbed into it. Falling to the ground, the Poké Ball began to rock back and forth.

Two minutes passed.

The Poké Ball rocked a few more times, slowing, before it stilled. Finally, a faint ding was heard, signifying that Weedle had been successfully captured.

Ash quickly walked over to Weedle's new Poké Ball, grabbed it off the ground, before facing Pidgey. Pidgey was standing on the ground, looking at him with a tilted head.

"We did it Pidgey!" Ash cheered happily, pumping his fist. "We caught a Weedle!"

XXXXXX

(Meanwhile—Unova Region— Striaton City—Pokémon Center)

Jonathan was currently sitting before a Video Phone, waiting for Professor Oak to pick up on the other end. After a minute though, Professor Oak answered, face appearing on the small Video Phone screen.

"Hello…? Oh, it's you, Jonathan!" Professor Oak exclaimed. "How can I help you?"

Smiling, Jonathan unclipped a Poké Ball from his belt before he showed it to Professor Oak. Then, releasing the Pokémon inside, he allowed Professor Oak to look at it for a moment before he returned it.

"Professor, I need your help in delivering this Pokémon to Delia. You see, it's her birthday next week and I want to surprise her with this little guy." He smiled, imagining his wife's reaction to it. "You know how much she adores Grass-Type Pokémon."

"Alright, I'll help. Just send it to my lab and I'll call Delia over." Professor Oak said.

Jonathan smiled before doing as instructed. He then watched as his Poké Ball vanished in a small flash of light, saw it appear under Professor Oak's Poké Ball transport machine, and then as Professor Oak grabbed it.

"Thank you Professor." Jonathan said.

XXXXXX

(Later—With Ash)

"Alright, guys…" Ash said as he tossed his four Poké Balls into the air. "C'mon out!"

There came four identical flashes of white light as all of Ash's current Pokémon materialized. They then looked around, each wondering why they had been called out, only for Ash to set a couple of bowls in front of them.

Then, Ash removed a bag of PokéChow from his backpack, opened it, before he began to pour some PokéChow into the bowl. Once he was done, he quickly sealed the bag before he reached into his backpack again. This time he removed his own lunch; a peanut butter sandwich and a bottle of water.

Without further ado, Pokémon and human dug into their lunches.

However, Eevee wasn't eating. Instead she was staring out into the forest, ears flattened down against her head.

Seeing this, Ash raised an eyebrow. "What's the matter, Eevee? Don't you like the PokéChow?"

"Ve!" Eevee cried, shaking her head.

Ash scratched his head, wondering what Eevee was talking about. She was so insistent and kept gesturing, towards the forest, with her head. Hm. Maybe she had seen another Pokémon?

"YARGH!"

Turning, Ash saw something that looked to be straight out of a Historical Fiction book rushing out of the bushes. What appeared to be a kid his age dressed in full-on samurai gear was rushing towards him, sword drawn.

Ash quickly rolled to the side, causing the samurai to rush past him before his Pokémon reacted to the samurai's threat.

Weedle used String-Shot to bind the samurai's legs together which caused him to stumble before falling to the ground. Rattata ran up and bit the samurai's hand, forcing him to release his sword. Pidgey then swooped down to pick up the weapon before he took the weapon away. To finish it off, Eevee moved to stand before Ash, growling.

The samurai blinked, "What just happened?"

"I dodged and my Pokémon took you down when you tried to hit me with a sword!" Ash responded angrily. "You could've killed me!"  
Pidgey dropped the samurai's sword on the ground, far away from the samurai, before he flew back to his Trainer. Rattata also trotted up to Ash's side though Weedle stayed, further binding the samurai by tying his wrists together with String-Shot.

The samurai struggled, "Call them off!" He pleaded. "I didn't mean to hurt you! I just meant to test you!"

"Why should I? You could be lying!" Ash retorted, crossing his arms.

"I wanted to test you! I wanted to see if you were the fourth Trainer from Pallet Town! To see that if you were as strong as the other three Pallet Town Trainers that I fought!"

"That doesn't give you the right to rush at me with a sword!" Ash growled. "You could've killed me what that thing!"

XXXXXX

(Meanwhile—With Professor Oak)

"What? There was an attack in Viridian?" Professor Oak exclaimed as he looked at his newspaper. His eyes bulged. "Ash was involved…" He read some more before he stood up. "I have to tell Delia!"

Quickly walking over to his Video Phone, Professor Oak dialed Delia's number. Then, he waited anxiously for the woman to pick up. _'Come on, come on… Pick up, pick up!'_

"Hello? This is the Ketchum Residence, Delia speaking. How may I help you?"

"Thank goodness your home, Delia!" Professor Oak said. "Have you read today's paper yet?"

"No, I just got off the phone with Jonathan. He was telling me about his work… Why. Should I have read the paper?" Delia asked.

Professor Oak gulped, "Well… there was an incident in Viridian City… Two members of Team Rocket attempted to rob the Pokémon Center…"

* * *

Ash's Pokémon Team

Eevee (Female): Level Six.

Attacks: Scratch (Normal), Tail Whip (Normal), Tackle (Normal), Growl (Normal), and Helping-Hand (Normal).

Pidgey (Male): Level Five.

Attacks: Tackle (Normal), and Sand-Attack (Ground).

Rattata (Male): Level Four.

Attacks: Tackle (Normal), Tail Whip (Normal), and Quick Attack (Normal).

Weedle (Male): Level Five.

Attacks: String-Shot (Bug), Poison-Sting (Poison), Bug-Bite (Bug), and Harden (Normal).

* * *

**A/N: Author's Note: **This chapter was updated as of 5/11/2012.


	5. Chapter Five:

Disclaimer: I do not, nor have I ever, owned anything related to Nintendo's _Pokémon_ franchise.

* * *

Legend:

"A human or a Pokémon is talking."

'_A human or a Pokémon is thinking.'_

"**A machine is being used."**

* * *

Chapter Five:

* * *

(Kanto—Pallet Town—Professor Oak's Laboratory)

"WHAT?"

Professor Oak backpedaled from his Video Phone with a sheepish expression on his face. He put his hands up in the air to show that he meant no harm.

A couple of minutes passed again before Delia spoke again, "… I'm okay, Professor. It's just so… so _surprising_ to hear that. I never thought that Ash could get involved with… them… I mean—" Delia threw her hands into the air. "Isn't that what the police are for?"

"You know that the police can't always get to the scene in time, Delia." Professor Oak said with a somewhat chiding tone in his voice. "If Ash and that Jimmy boy hadn't stepped in, then all of the Pokémon in the Pokémon Center would've probably have been stolen."

Delia sighed. She did know—from her own experiences—that Professor Oak was right; the police couldn't be there all the time. She also knew that when it came down to it, most Pokémon Trainers would do anything to protect their Pokémon.

It was just hard to apply that knowledge when it came to this situation. For years, she had kept her son safe from any and all dangers while trying to keep him happy. Now that he was on his journey, she was beginning to learn that she couldn't do that anymore.

"I know, Professor…" Delia sighed, looking down. "I'll talk to Ash the next time he calls me…" Lifting her head, a hard glint entered them. "Because he is in SO much trouble!"

(Meanwhile—With Ash and Samurai)

"I, Samurai, do here solemnly swear on my life that I won't use my sword on Ash Ketchum or any of his Pokémon." Samurai vowed before he opened his eyes. He looked up at Ash grumpily. "Is that good enough for you?"

Ash nodded before turning to Rattata, making a shooing motion. Rattata nodded before he scampered over to Samurai's arms and began biting through the sticky, white material that bound them together.

Then, after Rattata had finished Samurai's wrists, he moved onto Samurai's feet. As this was happening, Samurai was rubbing his wrists to get the feeling back into them. Samurai then began to help Rattata tear off the remaining material.

"Good job, Rattata. Return." Ash said once Samurai had been fully freed, pointing Rattata's empty Poké Ball.

Before he was reabsorbed into the Poké Ball, Rattata chittered happily from his Trainer's praise. It was only a few seconds later when Rattata was pulled back into his Poké Ball.

With that done, Ash began to pick up his and his Pokémon's stuff, having finished eating their lunch while Samurai was still bound.

"So… do you want to battle?" Samurai asked.

Ash shouldered his backpack with a smile, turning to face Samurai. He then began to walk towards Samurai before he passed him entirely.

Samurai looked confused, "Hey! Where are you going?"

"If we're going to battle, then we'll need to find someplace to act as a battlefield." Ash said with a small smirk on his face. "Duh."

XXXXXX

"Let's see how you compare to the others, Ash." Samurai said as he looked at Ash from his side of the battlefield, tossing a Poké Ball in his right hand. "Go, Metapod!"

Once the customary flash of white light had faded, Samurai's Pokémon was revealed. The Pokémon in question resembled a green, serpentine chrysalis. Also, on either side of its head were droopy white eyes.

"Meta-pod pod…" Metapod stated monotonously.

"What is _that?_" Ash wondered as he pulled out his Pokédex. Flicking it open, he pointed it towards Metapod.

"**Metapod: The Cocoon Pokémon. A steel-hard shell protects its tender body. It quietly endures hardships while awaiting evolution."**

Ash nodded to himself as he put away his Pokédex beforehe thought of which of his four Pokémon to use. He turned to Eevee—having decided on using her—before he nodded.

Eevee yipped excitedly began she jumped off his shoulder and onto the ground. Then, she looked up and stared at Metapod, her bushy tail wagging back and forth. Metapod just sat there, unmoving, while it stared ahead of itself blankly.

Both Pokémon Trainers looked at each other, determination burning in both their eyes. After a moment they both nodded at each other and the battle was on.

"Eevee, use your Tackle!"

"Harden, Metapod!"

Following their orders, Eevee began to run towards Metapod while Metapod simply began to glow greenish-white. Soon after, Eevee tackled Metapod, sending it back a couple of feet with little damage to its body.

Ash's eyes widened in confusion, "What?"

Samurai crossed his arms, smirking. He then watched as Ash ordered his Pokémon to attack and saw the all-too familiar results. No matter how many times Eevee managed to Tackle or Scratch Metapod, it didn't do much damage because of Metapod's Harden.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk… Can't you beat a little Metapod, Ash?" Samurai taunted.

Ash frowned. While he could see that all of Eevee's attacks were connecting, he could also see they weren't causing Metapod much damage.

Plus, Eevee was starting to get exhausted. If he didn't find some way to get through Metapod's defense, then she would probably be too exhausted to move. Once that happened, he was sure that Samurai would go on the offensive.

"Ve… Eevee… Eve Eevee…" Eevee panted.

Ash racked his brain—trying to think of some way he could defeat Metapod—when a sudden memory assaulted him.

The memory was of when Weedle had used its String-Shot to capture Eevee's paw before he had pulled Eevee towards him. Thinking about it, Ash wondered if Eevee could do something like that. Samurai certainly wouldn't be expecting that.

But, how would he imitate that feat? After a few seconds, a metaphorical light bulb bloomed to being over his head.

"Eevee! Grab Metapod with your tail!" Ash ordered quickly. "Then use all of your remaining strength and through Metapod against that tree!"

Eevee nodded before she wrapped her tail around Metapod, as she had been beside the unmoving Pokémon for most of the match. She then began to twirl her tail, gaining momentum, before she used every last drop of strength she had to throw Metapod into the tree her Trainer had pointed out.

"… What? No!" Samurai shouted.

Wooden debris mixed in within a fair amount of tree sap flew into the air as Metapod crashed into the tree. After a couple seconds, Metapod was revealed to be stuck within a Metapod-shaped hole on the tree.

"Return, Metapod." Samurai said as he withdrew his Pokémon. Once finished, he turned to Ash. "You did well. However, will you be good enough to defeat my next Pokémon?" Before Ash could answer, Samurai threw a Poké Ball into the air. "Go, Pinsir!"

Eevee recoiled at the sight of Samurai's Pinsir, a faint whine escaping her mouth. "Ve…"

Pinsir was a bipedal Pokémon that had a brown body with a large pair of white horns, or pincers, that were dotted with small spikes. It had short legs with three toes each and skinny, three-clawed arms. Its mouth also had long, flat teeth that were arranged vertically rather than horizontally.

As Pinsir clacked its horns together aggressively—waiting to attack—Ash withdrew his Pokédex. While he did this, his eyes were wide, his hands shook, and small beads of sweat broke out along his forehead.

"**Pinsir: The Stag Beetle Pokémon. It grips prey with its pincers until the prey is torn in half. What it can't tear, it tosses far."**

It was only seconds later that Samurai went on the offensive, no wanting to allow Ash the time to come up with a decent strategy. "Pinsir, use ViceGrip!"

"Dodge it, Eevee!" Ash ordered.

Pinsir roared as it lurched forward, its great horns outstretched, just as Eevee sidestepped to the left to avoid it. Not one to be so easily evaded, Pinsir lumbered after Eevee—quickly closing the distance between them—before it plucked Eevee off the ground with its horns.

Then, with Eevee trapped within its grasp, Pinsir began to squeeze its horns together, suffocating the smaller Pokémon. Ash could only watch on as Eevee was slowly knocked unconscious, reminded of his unpleasant encounter with Jessie yesterday night.

Moments later, an unconscious Eevee was released from Pinsir's horns and thrown to the ground before Ash. Pinsir roared triumphantly as Ash withdrew his fallen Pokémon, scowling at the massive Bug-Type Pokémon.

'_Who should I use next? Pidgey isn't fast enough to avoid its horns… Rattata is fast but… his teeth probably wouldn't be able to pierce Pinsir's thick hide…'_ Ash thought to himself. _'I guess that leave you, Weedle…'_

"Come on already!" Samurai called out, getting impatient.

"Alright…" Ash said before he unclipped and threw Weedle's Poké Ball. "I choose you, Weedle!"

As soon as Weedle's Poké Ball hit the ground, a semi-sleepy Weedle appeared within a flash of white light. Weedle looked around for a moment, wondering why it had been called out, before it spotted Pinsir clacking its horns together. His eyes bugged out.

"We Weedle We-dle Dle-We!" Weedle cried as he looked at Ash .

"You're my best shot of defeating it Weedle. You can do it." Ash said encouragingly. "I know you can do it; you are my Pokémon after all."

Touched, Weedle nodded before it straightened out and turned to face Pinsir. There was a brief silence as both Pokémon looked at each other, each of them waiting for their orders.

Like before, Samurai was on the offensive. "Tackle it, Pinsir!"

"Use your String-Shot, Weedle!" Ash countered.

Weedle nodded again before it began to fire a rope of sticky, white material towards Pinsir. This material collided with the rapidly approaching Pokémon—quickly coating both its face and its horns—effectively blinding it.

Also, as an added bonus, Pinsir didn't seem like it could move its horns anymore.

"Now, dodge!" Ash ordered.

Weedle scurried out of the way before watching as Pinsir, blinded by its String-Shot, crashed into a nearby tree. Struggling to remove its head from its wooden prison, some of Weedle's String-Shot was scraped off.

Breaking free in a shower of wooden debris, it was revealed that Pinsir could see once more. Also, Pinsir could move its horns again, as demonstrated when it clacked them together angrily.

"Pin-Sir, Pin Pi-sir!"

With that, Pinsir charged towards Weedle. Ash hastily ordered for Weedle to dodge to the side, though it came slightly too late. Pinsir managed to Tackle Weedle, sending it skidding over the grass.

When he stopped, it was obvious that Weedle had taken a great deal of damage from Pinsir's attack. In fact, it looked as if Weedle's will was the only thing keeping him awake at the moment.

Weedle struggled to stand up again and, after a couple of moments, somehow found the strength within himself to do so. Sure, Weedle looked shaky and as if a small gust would push him over, but he had managed to stand up again.

Now glaring at Pinsir, Weedle knew that he couldn't lose. His Trainer believed in him—that he could win this battle! He could not let his Trainer down; he had to show his Trainer that he had a right to believe in him!

"Pinsir, finish him off with another Tackle!" Samurai ordered.

"WE!" Weedle shouted out as a translucent, white glow covered its body.

Then, as Pinsir charged him, the white glow surrounding Weedle became hard to see through before it seemed to becoming a bit bigger. When Pinsir was only a few feet away, the glow around Weedle completely disappeared.

Weedle was no more. In its place was a yellow, serpentine cocoon Pokémon. It had a dome-shaped head and black, triangular eyes. It also had two scythe-like arms in the middle of its body.

It was now a Kakuna.

"That's… T-That's impossible!" Samurai shouted out in disbelief. "How could it have evolved into a Kakuna so quickly?"

Ash grinned, "We—No… Kakuna! Use your String-Shot!"

"Ka… ku" Kakuna nodded, "Na!"

White, sticky material flew out from an almost invisible hole of Kakuna's chrysalis. Arcing through the air, the String-Shot landed directly on Pinsir's eyes, effectively blinding it once more. Roaring, Pinsir reared its head back, inadvertently pulling Kakuna towards itself.

It was kind of like the direct opposite of what Kakuna had used against Eevee when it was a Weedle.

"Yes!" Samurai cheered. "When its within reach, use ViceGrip!"

"Kakuna, use Harden!" Ash countered—having remembered the move Metapod had used earlier and hoping that Kakuna would be able to use it.

Apparently, Kakuna did know the move as a yellowish-white glow overcame Kakuna's body, hardening it. Seconds after this glow faded, Kakuna landed within Pincer's horns. However, despite Pincer squeezing with all its might, it was unable to hurt Kakuna like it had Eevee.

Suddenly, a loud crack was heard as one of Pinsir's spikes broke off from its horns. Samurai stared on in horror as the rest of his Pokémon's spikes began to break off before falling to the ground.

"NO!"

"Alright, Kakuna!" Ash cheered, grinning. "Now, let's finish it off with a Bug-Bite!"

Earlier, after he had caught Weedle, he had used his Pokédex to discover if it knew any other moves besides String-Shot. He had discovered that it did; it knew the move Bug-Bite.

Kakuna's two little arms glowed a faint white and lengthened at least an inch outward. These arms then began stabbing at Pinsir's head repeatedly, trying to pierce the Pokémon's hard skin. The number of times Kakuna hit were too numerous, and too fast, to count.

Once Kakuna was finished, he retracted his arms back into his outer shell. It was only a couple of seconds after this that Pinsir groaned, its eyes closed, before it started to fall forward. The force of its impact caused the ground to shake slightly.

Sighing, Samurai took out Pinsir's Poké Ball before pointing it at his fallen Pokémon. "Return, Pinsir…"

As Pinsir was withdrawn back into its Poké Ball, Ash walked towards his newly-evolved Pokémon. Once there, he picked Kakuna off of the ground before he sat down on the grass, scratching it affectionately.

"You were really awesome out there, Kakuna!" Ash praised as scratched his Pokémon. "I knew you could do it!"

Kakuna relaxed into his embrace, "Na… Kakuna."

Hearing footsteps, Ash looked up, only to see Samurai holding out his hand. Taking it, he allowed himself and Kakuna to be pulled up, before Samurai retracted his hand.

"You did really well, Ash. I thought that I was going to win there for a couple moments but you sure turned it around. Great job." Samurai said, smiling.

"You did pretty well yourself, Samurai. That Pinsir of yours is really strong!" Ash responded. Then, he loomed up to the other boy with a curious expression. "By the way… where did you get him?"

"Oh… I got him in a Bug-Catching Contest over in Johto. I did try to find one within the Safari here in Kanto, but… I couldn't. Oh, I found some Pinsir, but I couldn't catch any with the Poké Balls they gave me."

XXXXXX

(Meanwhile—Pallet Town—Professor Oak's Laboratory)

"Not to be rude or anything, Professor but… why did you ask me to come here?" Delia asked with a curious expression. "Is something the matter?"  
Professor Oak shook his head, "No, nothing is the matter. I simply forgot to tell you to come earlier because of my surprise over what had occurred in Viridian."

"You don't need to remind me about that Professor…"

"The reason I called you here was because Jonathan called me yesterday night. He told me to tell you that, unfortunately, he won't be able to make it back it in time for your birthday." Professor Oak said.

Delia looked down, a tad disappointed and hurt. While she had known that Jonathan was busy because of his work, she had hoped that he would be able to come home for her birthday. Especially since Ash had left on his own journey.

"Don't worry, Delia; Jonathan hasn't forgotten about your birthday." Professor Oak said before he walked over to his closest and removed a brightly-wrapped box.

Taking the box, Delia hesitated for a moment before she slowly began to peel off the green wrapping paper. Once that was done, she opened the box, only to find a simple Poké Ball and a handwritten note.

* * *

_Delia,_

_I am very sorry that I am going to be unable to get home this year for your birthday in time. I hope that you are able to forgive me and wait until I get back. When I do, I'll be home for a couple of weeks so that we'll be able to do anything that you want to do._

_Until that time, I have captured this Pokémon. I know how much you love Grass-Type Pokémon and… I thought you could use the company until I returned._

_With all my heart,_

_Jonathan._

* * *

Teary-eyed, Delia lowered the note. While she did support her husband and his job, it was very hard for her to be separated from him for long lengths of time.

To know that he was coming home—for a couple of weeks at that—well, it made her day seem much brighter than it had a few minutes ago.

"Delia?" Professor Oak asked in concern. "Are you okay?"

Delia nodded before she removed a handkerchief from her pocket and patted her eyes. "Yes… I'm alright, Professor. I just…" She smiled weakly. "I just can't wait for Jonathan to get home…"

"Ah, I see." Professor Oak said. "Now, I'm curious… What Pokémon did Jonathan send you?"

Startled, Delia looked down to see the Poké Ball still within the box. Grabbing it, she held it in her hand for a moment before she released the Pokémon inside.

The Pokémon that Jonathan had caught for her greatly resembled a mushroom. Its cap looked quite similar to a Poké Ball, and its white, stem-like body sports stubby, digit-less arms, a large pink mouth, and pinprick-like dark eyes.

"Gus?" It asked with a cute little tilt of its head.

"Oh!" Delia exclaimed before she quickly picked up the small Pokémon and hugged it close. "You're so adorable, aren't you? Yes you are!"

XXXXXX

(Later—With Ash and Samurai)

"Thanks for all your help, Samurai!"

Eevee—now fully healed—yipped happily. "Ve Eevee!"

Samurai nodded with a smile before he took Ash's hand and gave it a firm shake. Then, he nodded towards Eevee before he turned his back to them. However, before he walked away, Samurai spoke:

"Be ready the next time you travel into the Viridian Forest, Ash… because I'll be waiting to show you the true strength of my Bug-Type Pokémon!"

Ash grinned, "We'll be ready, Samurai… right, Eevee?"

"Ve Eve Ee-V-e Eve-E." Eevee agreed.

"I'm sure that it will be an impressive match…" Samurai said, still not facing either Ash or Eevee. "And Ash…"

"Yeah?" Ash asked.

"… Good luck in Pewter City. You'll need it when you face Brock." Samurai said.

Ash looked at Samurai with a confused expression. Brock? Who was that? Confused, he voice his question allowed, hoping that Samurai would tell him. Fortunately, Samurai did.

"Brock is the first of the eight Gym Leaders you'll need to face in order to get into the Indigo League." Samurai informed. "And I said 'good luck' because you'll need it; Brock deals in purely Rock-Type Pokémon." He paused for a moment. "With your current team, it will be extremely difficult for you to defeat him."

Ash nodded—taking in this information—before he thanked Samurai for telling him. Samurai nodded once more before he waved goodbye and walked back into Viridian Forest. When Ash couldn't see Samurai anymore, he turned to face Eevee.

"You ready for this Eevee?" Ash asked with an enormous grin.

Eevee yipped excitedly, "Ve, Ee-V-E eve Eevee!"

Together, Ash and Eevee took their first steps out of the Viridian Forest and on the road that led Pewter City. The first of the Gym Leaders they needed to beat was waiting for them and they didn't want to be late.

* * *

Ash's Pokémon Team:

Eevee (Female): Level Six.

Attacks: Scratch (Normal), Tail Whip (Normal), Tackle (Normal), Growl (Normal), and Helping-Hand (Normal).

Pidgey (Male): Level Five.

Attacks: Tackle (Normal), and Sand-Attack (Ground).

Rattata (Male): Level Four.

Attacks: Tackle (Normal), Tail Whip (Normal), and Quick Attack (Normal).

Kakuna (Male): Level Five.

Attacks: String-Shot (Bug), Poison-Sting (Poison), Bug-Bite (Bug), and Harden (Normal).

Samurai's Pokémon Team:

Metapod (Male): Level Six.

Attacks: Harden (Normal).

Pinsir (Male): Level 10.

Attacks: Tackle (Normal) and ViceGrip (Normal).

Delia's Pokémon Team:

Foongus (Female): Level Four.

Attacks: Absorb (Grass) and Gastro Acid (Poison).

* * *

**A/N; Author's Note: **Well, that's the end of chapter five. Tell me what you guys think of it in your reviews and messages! This chapter was updated as of 5/13/2012.


	6. Chapter Six:

Disclaimer: I do not, nor have I ever, owned anything related to Nintendo's _Pokémon_ franchise.

* * *

Legend:

"A human or a Pokémon is talking."

'_A human or a Pokémon is thinking.'_

"**A machine is being used."**

* * *

Chapter Six:

* * *

After saying goodbye and thanking Samurai for his help, Ash had begun the small trip to finally ask the Viridian Forest.

The relatively flat, grassy path he had been traveling on slowly dissipated as he traveled, being replaced by rock. There were still trees however they sat, perched, on top of the boulders that littered the side of the pathway.

Spotting something ahead, Ash rushed over to a nearby boulder so he could get a better look. Looking down from the boulder, he could suddenly see Pewter City in its entirety.

From his viewpoint, Ash saw numerous house and store-crowded streets, parks, and some other small shops. While most of the city was colored a light, stone grey, the overall lack of color didn't bother Ash in the slightest.

It felt good to be returning to the city after a couple of days in the Viridian Forest.

"Phew! For a while, I'd thought I'd never get out of that forest." Ash muttered after a moment, sitting down on top of his boulder. "Even with the map… and Samurai's help… it was a maze in there!"

"Pewter City is gray; the color of stone. This town has always been famous for its stone."

Startled, Ash jumped backwards—eyed widening as his head turned about—only to see that no one was around.

Before Ash could do anything else, he felt Eevee prepare herself for a jump before she hopped off of his shoulder. Eevee then quickly bound over to where Ash had been standing only moments ago before she jumped onto the small ridge underneath it.

"Ve, Ee-V-E Eve Eevee!" Eevee called.

Crawling over, Ash quickly poked his head over the ridge and saw Eevee standing before the owner of the voice that had spoken out mere moments ago.

The man in question had short, spiky black hair underneath a green beanie, squinted brown eyes, and dark-colored skin. He was wearing a pair of green, baggy pants, a yellow shirt, brown boots, and white gloves.

This man was currently sitting in a crisscross position with his head lowered to the ground. In the palm of the man's hand was a decent-sized rock, which he appeared to be observing, before he put it down a minute later.

"Who're you?" Ash asked, curious.

"The name's Flint." The man—Flint—said as he got out of his crisscross position before getting up. "And you're sitting on some of my merchandize, young man."  
Ash quickly backpedaled off of the rock, apologizing as he went. Getting up, he then noticed the rack only a few feet away from Flint, which carried an assortment of price-tag carrying rocks.

Looking down, Ash noticed that the rock he had been on moments had a small sticker displaying its price. Apparently, it was worth about 300.

"You sell rocks?" Ash asked with an incredulous expression.

Flint nodded, "They're Pewter City souvenirs…" He turned slightly, "Do you want to buy some?"

"No thanks, Flint." Ash replied with a brief shake of his head. "… I really don't have room in my backpack to carry a souvenir right now. Sorry."

Flint sighed disappointedly though he did accept Ash's answer. "I'll take you to the Pokémon Center then. It's the least that I can do... Oh, and by the way… You owe me two bucks. It's the standard charge for sitting on one of my rocks."

XXXXXX

(Later—Pewter City—Pokémon Center)

After paying Flint for "sitting on one of his rocks", Flint had led Ash to his city's Pokémon Center. He left a few minutes later, saying he had to get back to his "store".

Now alone, Ash walked into the Pokémon Center and entered the lobby.

Unlike the Pokémon Center's lobby in Viridian City, this lobby a tad bit smaller. Off to the side of the door was a staircase—possibly leading up to the rooms—while on the other side was the door to the cafeteria.

Scattered around the room were a few plush couches, armchairs, and coffee tables which made up two smaller "lounge" areas. By these areas were a rack of magazines, a bookshelf, and—near the lounge on the right—was a small row of video phones.

Walking up to the reception desk, Ash picked up an available tray before he moved to place all of his Pokémon's Poké Balls in it. He then had to wait for a couple of minutes before an all-too familiar person walked up to the other side of the desk.

"Hello, Ash."

Ash's eyes widened, "N-Nurse Joy… how did you get here so fast…? I thought… I thought you worked back in Viridian City!"

"The Joy in Viridian is my little sister; I'm the older Joy." Nurse Joy responded. "I know who you are because of your actions that were reported in the paper." She paused before leaning towards Ash slightly. "I can't tell you how grateful I am for helping my sister."

Ash turned away, face reddening in a blush. "It's nothing… Anybody would've done the same thing if they had been in my position."

"Well, it wasn't 'anybody'; it was you. You helped stop Team Rocket and did your best to make sure my sister was okay. Me and my sister owe you a great debt."

Before Ash could think to say anything in response, Nurse Joy took his tray before she walked out of the lobby. He stood there for a moment—trying to comprehend what just happened—before he sighed.

Well, he could talk to Nurse Joy later. In the meantime, he could call home to see how his Mom was doing.

XXXXXX

(Meanwhile—With Delia Ketchum)

"**Ring, ring, ring! Phone call! Phone call! Ring, ring, ring! Phone call! Phone—!"**

Having finally picked up the phone, Delia absently wondered just who would be calling her. Foongus also seemed to share in her curiosity, though it was probably just wondering what she was doing.

Being a baby, Foongus required a lot of care and love, which Delia was all-too happy to give. However, like any other baby, Foongus required supervision lest it got into trouble.

It was because of that fact that she would need to end this call quickly before Foongus could wander off—and get into trouble—before she could stop it.

"Hello! This is the Ketchum residence."

"Hi, Mom."

At the sound of this voice—her son's voice—Delia's eyes widened in surprise. A few moments later, her surprised expression was replaced with a small, somewhat creepy smile.

She could deal with whatever Foongus got into later. Right now, however, her child was in need of a proper tongue-lashing.

"Ash Ketchum! You are in _so_ much _trouble_!" Delia began as she stared at the image of her son reprovingly. "If I was there, I would give you a good spanking, young man! How dare you do such a thing! You could've gotten hurt or—" Delia paused, tears prickling in the edges of her eyes. "—or _worse_!"

Ash didn't know what to say, too stunned at the sudden onslaught.

"Foon-gus?"

"Didn't I teach you better than that? Well, I certainly didn't teach you to go rushing off into danger, young man!" Delia said before her eyes narrowed. "And _why_ didn't I hear this from _you_? I had to hear from _Professor Oak_ about what happened in Viridian! Well? I'm waiting!"

In Pewter City, Ash silently vowed to kill Professor Oak. If the old man hadn't told his Mom about the incident—before he was ready to tell her—then he wouldn't be in this position.

"All of the Video Phones had been broken, Mom." Ash began explaining. "Team Rocket broke them when they took over the Pokémon Center… Nurse Joy said it would take a week to get them fixed."

"Well… Well, that doesn't mean you couldn't have asked to borrow a phone!"

She hadn't known that the Video Phones had been broken, only assumed that Ash hadn't called because he didn't want to get into trouble. This piece of information slowly soothed her.

By the time that Ash had finished explaining what had happened that night—from his point of view—Delia wasn't angry anymore. However, she was still a little miffed. Even though she had understood what happened, didn't mean she had to like it.

"Alright honey… I understand." Delia sighed, looking away. "I don't like it but… you did the right thing." She turned back to Ash with a pleading expression on her face. "Just promise me you'll try to avoid things like this in the future…"

Ash nodded, "I promise."

XXXXXX

(Pewter City—Pokémon Center—Lobby)

"**Ash Ketchum, please report to the reception desk; your Pokémon are ready."**

Having just finished his call only moments ago, Ash turned away from the Video Phone he was at and looked towards the reception desk. He saw that Nurse Joy had returned and was now putting away a microphone.

Ash quickly put the phone back on the receiver before he walked over to the reception desk. When he got there, Nurse Joy handed him his tray. Thanking her, Ash began clipping his Poké Balls onto his belt as Eevee waited.

"It wasn't a problem, sweetie. After all, it's the least I could do for you." Nurse Joy said before she leaned forward and folded her hands on the desk. "Now, is there anything else I can do for you?"  
Ash nodded, "Yeah. I would like to get a room… as I think I'll be staying in Pewter for a little while."

Nurse Joy smiled before telling him to 'wait a minute' before she walked off.

Apparently, Eevee had enough of waiting—as she had just jumped onto his shoulder—and was now happily telling him about her experience. "Eevee Eve Eevee, Ee-V-E Ve!"

"Was it any different this time, Eevee?" Ash asked, curious.

When Eevee shook her head, Ash sighed. He had wanted to see if this Nurse Joy was any different than the other Nurse Joy back in Viridian City. They were the same height, wore the same clothes, looked the same, and even had the same voice. Now he found that they even treated Pokémon the same way.

How was that even possible?

"Here you go, Ash."

Ash turned to see the subject of his current frustration had returned, holding a room key. He forced a smile before taking the key and turned around to walk away. However, a sudden thought stopped him; he could ask Nurse Joy how to tell her and her sister apart!

"Um… Nurse Joy?" Ash asked, turning around.

"Yes?"

"How do people tell you and your sister apart?" Ash asked, curious. "I mean, you to look a lot like each other, have the same voice, and even act like each other… It's so confusing!"

Nurse Joy laughed, "Oh, Ash, I can't tell you how many Pokémon Trainers have asked me how all of us Joys can look alike…"

"Wait a minute… 'All of us Joys'…?"

"Ash, there aren't just one or two 'Nurse Joys'. Rather, I have countless family members all over the world that have the title of 'Nurse Joy'." Nurse Joy explained. "However, we're not entirely identical." She pointed to the cross on her nurses' hat. "We each have different colored crosses on our hats that indicate where we work."

Ash stood there, dumbfounded by this revelation. There were 'countless' Nurse Joys around the world—all looking and acting the same—with only a cross on their hats to distinguish themselves?

Why was no one questioning this strange phenomenon? How could 'countless' people all over the world look, act, and dress in the exact same way? It didn't make any sense!

"If that's all, Ash, I'll need to get back to work." Nurse Joy said as she began to turn away. "There are a few sick Pokémon that are in need of my attention."

Ash stood there for a couple of minutes before he shook his head, ridding himself of his previous thoughts. If the rest of the world didn't question this strange—crazy—happening, then why should he? It wasn't like he would find out what caused it.

"Ve?" Eevee questioned, looking at her Trainer curiously.

Ash sighed, "Don't ask…"

XXXXXX

(Later—Kanto—Pewter City—Geodude Park)

Soon after getting a room at the Pokémon Center, Ash had left as it was still relatively early. He then got directions from a passing woman to a nearby park in which he could train his Pokémon.

If he was to challenge Brock, then he would need to make sure his Pokémon could fight Rock-Type Pokémon.

With this in mind, Ash travelled to Geodude Park—which, as the name suggested—was a large area where Geodude could be found. Traveling into the park, he looked for a large enough space to train his Pokémon.

Only minutes later, Ash found just what he was looking for. It was a small, secluded field near the southern edge of Geodude Park. Scattered around the field were large, mossy boulders that could rival the size of a Pinsir.

Ash quickly unclipped the Poké Balls from his belt as Eevee jumped to the ground, "Alright everyone… c'mon out!"

Three Poké Balls were tossed into the air before they released identical flashes of light that quickly traveled to the ground. Once there, the light morphed into Ash's Pokémon who looked around themselves curiously.

"Ka?" Kakuna asked.

Pidgey tilted his head, "Pidgey Pi Gey?"

"Rattata?"

Ash didn't answer. Instead, he removed his backpack, placed it on a nearby boulder, and walked over to his four Pokémon.

"We're going to train." Ash stated as he bent over before sitting down on the grass. "With all of your help, I plan to enter the Indigo League." He explained. "In order to do that, I need your help in defeating eight Pokémon Trainers called Gym Leaders."

"Na Kakuna?" Kakuna asked.

"According to Samurai, the first Gym Leader is a man named Brock. Samurai also told me that Brock uses Rock-Type Pokémon, so he's sure to be tough. That's why we need to train." Ash answered.

Rattata stepped forward, eyes narrowed in determination. "Ratta Rat Tatta Rat! Rattata Rat Atta Rat Ratta."

"Kakuna Na Kaku Kuna Ku!" Kakuna agreed.

Pidgey nodded his head, "Pidgey, Pi!"

"Ve!" Eevee wagged her bushy tail excitedly before she got up. "Eevee, Ve Ee-V-E Eve!"

Ash smiled at his Pokémon's response. Standing, he then removed his Pokédex from his jacket before he pressed a few buttons.

He then pointed it toward Eevee, **"This Pokémon is a Level Six, female Eevee. It can use the attacks: Scratch, Tail Whip, Tackle, Helping Hand, Sand-Attack, and Growl."**

"I should've used this function earlier!" Ash exclaimed with a shake of his head. "I mean, I would've never guessed that you knew Helping Hand or Sand-Attack, Eevee!"

Eevee yipped, "Eevee Eve Eevee Ve Ee-V-E."

Ash nodded before he pointed his Pokédex towards his next Pokémon: Rattata. Rattata stilled, waiting for the strange device to speak.

"**This Pokémon is a Level Five, male Rattata. It can use the attacks: Tackle, Tail Whip, and Quick Attack."**

Ash took a moment to take in the information as Rattata quickly padded its way to Eevee's side. Eevee titled her head, curious, as Rattata stood on his hind-legs to whisper into one of her ears.

"Rattata, Rata-tat."

Eevee twitched, confused. "Ve?"

"**This Pokémon is a Level Five, male Pidgey. It can use the attacks: Tackle and Sand-Attack."**

"Rattata! Tatta Rat Ratta!" Rattata said.

Eevee didn't look convinced, "Ve Eevee E. Ee-V-E, Ve Eve?"

"Ratta!" Rattata insisted.

"…Ve, Eevee…" Eevee hedged, thinking about it. "Eevee Eve, Eevee…"

"Rattata Rat Tatta Ratta!"

Eevee nodded, finally consenting.

"**This Pokémon is a Level Five, male Kakuna. It can use the attacks: String-Shot, Poison-Sting, Bug-Bite, and Harden."**

Nodding thoughtfully, Ash put away his Pokédex, thinking about how he could use this information to his advantage. He was so deep in thought he didn't notice Rattata and Eevee walking over to Pidgey and Kakuna.

Turning after a few moments—to go sit down on a nearby boulder—he never noticed Eevee close her eyes before all but one his Pokémon were bathed in a pale blue glow.

XXXXXX

Now knowing where his Pokémon stood, Ash was thinking about how to train them. He was also thinking about how he could use them against Brock and his Rock-Type Pokémon.

Ash knew that Rock-Types had an overall high defense on average, so physical attacks wouldn't do all that much damage against them. He also knew that many Rock-Types had a slow speed.

If he could train his Pokémon to be fast, he could use that slowness to his advantage. He would need to, however, also train his Pokémon in endurance so that they wouldn't get exhausted in the middle of a match.

Also, he would have to try and make sure that Brock's Pokémon never landed a hit on his Pokémon. The strength—and weight—behind one of their blows would probably knock his Pokémon out after a couple of hits.

"Kakuna."

Ash's eyes widened fractionally as new ideas started forming at a blinding speed. What if he were to use Kakuna and Eevee or Kakuna and Rattata to battle Brock?

Kakuna could probably poison Brock's Rock-Type Pokémon in the beginning of battle. He could then recall Kakuna and send out Eevee—or Rattata—who would then use quickly attack and then dodge before Brock could counterattack.

If Eevee or Rattata were to be knocked out, Kakuna could use Harden. With the heightened defense that move provided, Kakuna would be able to last longer and take moderately lesser damage.

Kakuna could then use String-Shot to slow down Brock's Rock-Types or swing around the battlefield. If that happened, Brock's Pokémon wouldn't be able to catch Kakuna,

Then, if Kakuna had managed to poison his opponent, all Ash would need to do was avoid being knocked out until Brock's Pokémon eventually succumbed to it.

"Eevee Eve, Ee-V-E?"

Snapped out of his thoughts, Ash saw all four of his Pokémon looking at him, as if wondering why he was sitting down. He rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, realizing that they had probably been trying to get his attention for a while.

"Sorry guys… I was just thinking of a way to defeat Brock." Ash said.

"Ka, Kakuna Kaku Na." Kakuna responded forgivingly.

Rattata stepped forward eagerly, "Rattata, Ratta Tatta Rat!"

"You're right, Rattata. Let's train!"

* * *

Ash's Pokémon Team:

Eevee (Female): Level Six.

Attacks: Growl (Normal), Helping Hand (Normal), Sand-Attack (Normal), Scratch (Normal) Tackle (Normal), Tail Whip (Normal).

Pidgey (Male): Level Five.

Attacks: Sand-Attack (Ground), Tackle (Normal),

Rattata (Male): Level Five.

Attacks: Tackle (Normal), Tail Whip (Normal), and Quick Attack (Normal).

Kakuna (Male): Level Five.

Attacks: String-Shot (Bug), Poison-Sting (Poison), Bug-Bite (Bug), and Harden (Normal).

* * *

**A/N: Author's Note;** Well, that's the end of chapter six. Tell me what you guys think of it in your reviews and messages! This chapter was updated as of 5/19/2012.


	7. Chapter Seven:

Disclaimer: I do not, nor have I ever, owned anything related to Nintendo's _Pokémon_ franchise.

* * *

Legend:

"A human or a Pokémon is talking."

'_A human or a Pokémon is thinking.'_

"**A machine is being used."**

* * *

Chapter Seven:

* * *

(Kanto—Pewter City—Geodude Park)

Ash Ketchum was currently sitting on a boulder beside his backpack, watching his Pokémon as they trained.

Each of his Pokémon were training through an assigned task that he had given them. These tasks were given to them in the hopes it would help them in the long run.

Pidgey was tasked with flying laps around the clearing they were in, with a small rock strapped unto his back. Pidgey had been assigned this task to increase his strength, endurance, and speed. So far, it appeared to be working as Pidgey was tiring less often, flying faster, and getting stronger bit by bit as the days went by.

Kakuna and Rattata were training together. Rattata was trying to hit Kakuna with physical moves, like Bite, to try and knock Kakuna out. It would be hard for Rattata as Kakuna had used Harden, making its outer shell akin to steel.

Ash was hoping that this would help Rattata to learn how to deal damage against hard-bodied Pokémon.

Kakuna was tasked with dodging Rattata's attacks. It his plan was to work, Kakuna would have to learn how to dodge much faster than it had been before.

In the beginning, this plan hadn't worked. However, when Kakuna began to use String-Shot, everything changed.

Kakuna became very hard to hit as he used his String-Shot like a grappling hook, attaching it against boulders. He then flew towards the boulder he had attached his String-Shot to before repeating the process over and over again.

Eevee herself was training to deal damage against Rock-type Pokémon. To do this, she was using physical moves, like Tackle, against boulders of different sizes. This training was slowly teaching her how much energy she needed to put behind an attack to deal damage to a boulder, though it caused many bruises.

Seeing that it was getting late, Ash called out towards his exhausted Pokémon, telling them that they were done for the day.

As soon as they heard this, each and every one of Ash's Pokémon dropped what they were doing before walking over to their Trainer. It hurt Ash to see the fresh bruises and scrapes on his Pokémon's bodies, knowing that he was responsible for them.

However, Ash also knew that this was the only way for his team to get stronger. So, with this thought, Ash managed to force back his guilt before he got up.

"It's getting late, so we'd better get back to the Pokémon Center." Ash said before he heard his stomach grumble. "… We'll eat and then go to bed, okay?"

"Ve, Ee-V-E."

"Ratta…"

"Kakuna…Na Kaku."

"Pid-gey Pi."

"Right! Let's go!" Ash said.

With that, Ash turned before he began to walk away. He stopped, however, when he heard Eevee and then turned around. Seeing his Pokémon's exhausted and battered stated, he instantly felt bad

So, after recalling Pidgey, Rattata, and Kakuna back to their Poké Balls, he bent over and offered Eevee his shoulder. Eevee yipped before climbing up onto his shoulder. Then, once she was settled, Ash nodded and they were off.

XXXXXX

(Later—Pewter City—Brock's Gym)

The next day found one Ash Ketchum standing before Brock's Gym, hesitating on entering the building because he was feeling a bit nervous. He had spent the last two weeks training up his Pokémon but he still had his doubts.

Had he trained them enough for this? Were Kakuna and Eevee going to be strong enough to defeat Brock and the man' Rock-Type Pokémon? Would his plan actually work or would it fail? Should he have thought up a few back-up plans?  
Shaking his head, Ash pushed these doubts to the back of his mind. He had no time for doubts right now. So, taking a deep breath, Ash squared his shoulders before he walked into the gym.

The inside of the gym looked really awesome.

The gym's floor was composed of mixed earth with a few boulders of varying sizes scattered about. The walls were painted dark-gray. On either side of the gym were a set of bleachers, suspended in mid-air by a series of stone columns.

At the far end of the gym was a raised platform—made out of stone—with a few smaller boulders and rocks on it. Sitting on this platform was the gym's Gym Leader, Brock.

Brock was a dark-skinned male with short, dark-brown hair and squinting brown eyes. He was wearing a pair of green cargo pants with a long-sleeved, orange t-shirt over a black undershirt. He also wore a pair of brown-colored shoes, with black soles, and a black belt.

At the sound of Ash's footsteps, Brock looked up. "Who goes there?"

"I'm Ash Ketchum, from Pallet Town." Ash responded with a determined expression on his face. After a moment, he threw his right arm forward and pointed at Brock. "I'm here to challenge you for the Boulder Badge!"

"Alright… I'll accept your challenge. I trust that you know the rules, Ash?" Brock asked.

Ash nodded. When he had been young, his dad had told him stories of his previous exploits as a Pokémon Trainer. Through this, Ash had learned how the Gyms in the Kanto, Johto, and Hoenn regions worked.

In Kant, gym matches were supposed to be two-on-two Pokémon Battles between the Gym Leader and the challenger. During the battle, the challenger would be able to switch out his Pokémon thought the Gym Leader would not.

"I do." Ash said.

Brock nodded, "Good. Now then, walk over to the other end of the gym and call out your first Pokémon. When you have done that, I will call out my first Pokémon and we will begin the battle."

Obeying, Ash quickly made his way over the other end of the gym. Once there, he unclipped Kakuna's Poké Ball before he stopped. Taking a deep breath, he prayed that his plan would work, before he released Kakuna onto the battlefield.

After looking around for a moment, "Na, Kakuna" Kakuna called out determinately.

Brock sighed, right hand slipping into his pants' pocket before it locked around a single Poké Ball. It seemed that he had overestimated Ash Ketchum.

What fool would bring Bug-Type Pokémon to fight against Rock-type Pokémon? Oh well, it wasn't his problem if Ash lost.

Brock tossed the Poké Ball into the air, "Go, Geodude!"

In a flash of white light, Brock's first Pokémon was revealed. It was a gray boulder-like creature with bulged, rocky eyebrows and trapezoidal eyes with brown irises. It also possessed a strong set of five-fingered, muscular arms.

Geodude pumped one of its arms, "Dude Geodude!"

"Begin!" Brock announced—officially starting the match-before he ordered. "Let's get this started. Geodude, use Rollout!"

Geodude nodded before it quickly curled itself into a ball, where it then began to gather speed as it spun in place. Then, once it deemed it had enough speed, Geodude launched itself towards Kakuna's unmoving form.

"You know what to do, Kakuna! Use your String-Shot!" Ash countered.

Kakuna nodded once before he opened his mouth. Then, a rope of sticky white material flew from his mouth and towards the ceiling. Seeing it stick on the roof, Kakuna shot off towards the ceiling, using his little arms to climb.

A mere half a second later, Geodude whirled right where Kakuna had been standing and then over it. It stopped soon-after, uncurling itself, only to look around with a semi-angry expression on its face.

"Geodude Dude!" Geodude cursed.

Brock frowned, "Geodude, Rock Throw!"

Geodude nodded before it ripped out a clump of the earth beneath it—crumbling it in its hands—before it hurled it upwards. It then repeated the process until no less than twenty rocks were rocketing up towards Kakuna's position on the roof.

Kakuna knew what to do. He fired another String-Shot, this time at one of the approaching rocks, before he detached himself from the roof.

"Go for it!"

Gravity pulled the rocks—unable to have touched the ceiling—towards the ground, with Kakuna sitting on the top of 'his' own rock. He then jumped off before shooting another String-Shot at Geodude's head, detaching himself from the rock.

As Kakuna swung down towards Geodude at an alarming speed, Kakuna's shell Hardened, which caused Brock to frown.

"Geodude, Defense Curl!" Brock ordered.

Ash countered with a, "Poison Sting!"

As Geodude quickly curled itself into a ball before becoming outlined in a yellow glow, Kakuna's arms began to glow purple. It was only a couple of seconds later that Kakuna landed on top of Geodude's head.

Kakuna wasted no time. In an instant, he began to lash out at Geodude's head with his arms. After a couple moments, Geodude groaned, coming out of its defensive position, and stumbled slightly. It was almost enough to knock Kakuna off its head but not quite.

"Rip it off your head, Geodude!" Brock demanded.

"Kakuna, return!" Ash countered with a small grin, recalling Kakuna within a flash of light. "I choose you, Eevee!"

Eevee nodded before she jumped off of Ash's shoulder and landed on the ground. She didn't have much time as the match began anew, Geodude rushing forward to attack. Once Geodude was close enough, both Pokémon began a deadly dance of offensive and defensive maneuvering.

Eevee was mostly on defense while Geodude was on offense.

"Geodude, Tackle!" Brock ordered.

"Dodge it, Eevee!"

Both Ash and Brock watched as their individual Pokémon obeyed—Eevee dodging Geodude at the last second—before both began barking out orders.

"Use your Rollout!" Brock shouted.

Ash was quick to counter with a , "Dodge it! Then use Helping-Hand!"

Eevee didn't have enough time to dodge though she didn't get hit. Geodude's rolling form rocketed by within an inch of Eevee's body before it rolled past, straight into a nearby boulder. Geodude uncurled—groaning—as a light blue glow surrounded Eevee's body.

After a few seconds, this glow flew from Eevee and, looking quite like a thunderbolt, struck Geodude before it could fully recover. All then watched as the minute scratches from Kakuna's Poison Sting began to glow a sickly purple.

Geodude then groaned and grabbed its head with its muscular arms, gritting its teeth from the pain. As this was happening, Brock's eyes widened in surprise.

He could see Ash's little plan now. It was ingenious!

"Clever plan, Ash." Brock called out to Ash, smiling slightly. He smirked, "Too bad that it won't work… Geodude, Rock Throw! Follow it from a Rollout!"

Geodude groaned once more but complied with Brock's orders. Opening its eyes, it ripped chunks of earth from around itself before it hurled them at Eevee. Then, as the rocks whistled through the air, Geodude rolled into a ball before it launched itself towards Eevee.

"Eevee! Use the rocks as springboards!"

Eevee nodded, tensing slightly as the rocks approached. A few moments later, she jumped into the air—avoiding the first rock—before she jumped onto the second. She then used it as a springboard, leaping over Geodude and then landing the ground behind it.

Ash seized his chance, "Now, Sand Attack!"

"Use Rollout!" Brock countered.

"Dude!"

Eevee began to run around the battlefield at such a high speed that a trail of dust began to follow her as she ran. Geodude pursued, quickly gaining ground, with a similar trail of dust following it.

Soon, the entire battlefield had been consumed within a massive cloud of dust.

However, even though Ash and Brock couldn't see what was going on, they could still hear what was happening. They heard rocks crashing against rocks, startled yips and yelps, and the sound of something heavy impacting against a rock.

Soon, all became quiet, which meant that one Pokémon had been knocked out.

When the dust finally settled, it revealed Geodude to be lying on the ground with swirls in its eyes. A semi-tired Eevee stood above it. Then, after a few moments, Eevee looked up with a small, tired smile on its face.

"Eevee Eve Ve, Ee-V-E…" Eevee yipped, panting slightly.

"Good job, Eevee!" Ash grinned.

"Geodude, return!" Brock ordered, quickly recalling his Pokémon, before he looked at Ash. "That was a good plan you had, Ash. You used your Pokémon to poison mine and weaken it enough so that your second Pokémon could take it out with physical moves." He smirked, drawing out a second Poké Ball. "Too bad it won't work a second time. Go, Onix!"

Ash's eyes bulged at the sight of Brock's final Pokémon.

Onix resembled a giant chain of gray boulders, with a rocky spine on its head. It appeared to be fully-grown, as it measured at an enormous 28 feet 10 inches, the standard height for both male and female Onix.

"Eevee, return!" Ash called before he waited for Eevee to come back to him. Once she had, he pulled of Kakuna's Poké Ball. "I choose you, Kakuna!"

As soon as Kakuna saw Brock's Onix, his eyes widened as much as Ash's had. He then turned to Ash with a worried look in his eyes, getting a nod in return, before he nodded to himself. He had to face this behemoth, if only to weaken it.

"Alright, let's finish this, Onix! Use Rock Throw!" Brock ordered.

Onix's nodded with a roar, "Nix!"

"Dodge it with a String-Shot!"

Onix's tail slammed into the earth—splintering it—before it used its tail to start hitting rocks in Kakuna's direction. As this happened, Kakuna was using its String-Shot to swing around the battlefield.

To do so, Kakuna would release one string when he was in danger of being hit while spitting out another string to escape. Soon, numerous strings hung from the ceiling, looking like white streamers.

Onix was getting annoyed. It kept using its tail to uproot rocks and then send them at that annoying bug, but none of them hit it. The bug was using some sort of string to avoid it! The coward!

"Na, Kaku Kakuna Ka!" Kakuna shouted as it dodged another of Onix's rocks, swinging away from Onix's massive form.

Ash's eyes widened, looking up. Why hadn't he seen that row of sprinklers earlier? He could've used them—No, he didn't need to use them earlier. His plan had worked against Geodude perfectly.

Now, however, he could use those sprinklers to his advantage. If he didn't, he might not get a chance to weaken Onix enough so that his Pokémon could take it down.

He had to act now, "Kakuna… Poison Sting that row of sprinklers!"

"What?" Brock shouted out, alarmed, as he quickly realized what Ash was planning. "Onix! Stop that Kakuna!"

At this order, Onix's rain of rocks began even more intense, which caused Ash to sweat. If even one of those rocks hit Kakuna before he could set those sprinklers off, then it could be disastrous!

Onix's eyes narrowed as it sent another couple of rocks hurling towards Kakuna, "ONIX!"

"Kaku…" Kakuna swung upwards, swerving around two rocks. "Na!"

Only seconds later, Kakuna reached the ceiling. His little arms began glowing purple again before it slammed them both into the nearest sprinkler. Sparks flew in the air as the sprinkler discharged, electrocuting Kakuna.

Kakuna then fell towards the ground, burnt and smoking, where he landed on one of Onix's rocks. Then, as gravity pulled the rock back towards the ground, Kakuna fell off. It was only seconds later that Kakuna crashed into the ground, sending a miniature mushroom-cloud of dust into the air.

"No!" Ash shouted, alarmed. "Kakuna!"

Just then, the sprinklers went off, sending thousands of water droplets towards the ground. Onix groaned at this assault before it began to thrash about.

Ash's plan had worked, "… Thank you, Kakuna…" He whispered as he recalled Kakuna before he sent out Eevee again. "Let's end this!"

"On-ix!" Onix complained.

"Just hold on there, Onix! We just have to beat one more Pokémon!" Brock shouted.

"Use your Tackle attack!" Ash ordered.

Eevee nodded with a yip before she charged towards her foe. A slight glow surrounded her body as all sound seemed to suddenly vanish. It was because of this that she never heard Brock ordered Onix to dodge.

Onix raised its head slightly, still weak from the water, only seconds before Eevee tackled it. The force of the blow sent Onix's head back a few feet before it fell towards the ground.

"Are you alright Onix?" Brock called out, concerned.

"… On-…Ix…" Onix groaned as it slowly began to get up. "Onix nix… Onix…"

Onix had barely gotten up when Eevee tackled it again, this time in the back of its head. The force of the attack sent Onix falling onto the ground again. Onix struggled for a moment before it closed its eyes with a groan.

Brock looked concerned, "Onix?"

Ten seconds passed but Onix didn't get up or respond to Brock. Eevee had taken this time to pad over to Ash's side where she plopped herself to the ground. It was obvious by this point that Eevee was completely exhausted and was only barely conscious.

Finally, Brock sighed, withdrawing Onix's Poké Ball. "Take a good, long rest buddy… Onix, return!"

Onix was then consumed in red-colored light before it was recalled back into its Poké Ball. Brock sighed again before he put Onix's Poké Ball away. He then walked over to where Ash and Eevee were, a small smile on his face.

"That was an excellent match. I'll never forget you for you creativeness, if nothing else, Ash Ketchum." Brock stated before he grabbed something from his right pocket. "And—because you beat me—I can present you with the Boulder Badge."

Shakily, Ash took the offered badge from Brock's hand. He felt a warm sensation of pride spread through his chest even as a sense of euphoria overtook him.

He had done it! His plan had worked! He had beaten Brock! With a Bug-Type and a Normal-Type Pokémon!

Ash took a deep breath, trying to relax, before he put the Boulder Badge in his pocket. It wasn't an ideal place to keep it but, as he had no other place to put it at the moment, it would have to do.

"I also am proud to present you with the standard reward for defeating me: ¥1386." Brock said, holding the aforementioned stack of money in his hands. Ash took it, causing Brock to smile. "Good luck with the other gyms, Ash."

"Thank you."

XXXXXX

(Later)

After Ash had received the Boulder Badge and money, Brock offered to take him back to the Pokémon Center. They both had Pokémon that were in need of healing, so why not?

Wanting to know a little bit more about Brock, Ash had accepted. They were off towards the center after Brock turned off the lights off his gym and locked the doors.

On the way to the center, Ash learned that Brock had and took care of nine siblings by himself. He described each of them in immaculate detail—how they looked, what they acted like, and what hobbies they had.

In return, Ash had told Brock a little bit about his life in Pallet Town. He told Brock of his dad—who was away because of his work—his mom, and of Professor Oak. He also told of the farm work that most citizens in Pallet Town did, surprising Brock when he told him that Pallet Town supplied Viridian City and Pewter City with their crops.

At the moment, Ash and Brock were just nearing the Pokémon Center. Hearing shouting from inside the center and, worried, they rushed into the building.

Inside, they found Nurse Joy being verbally assaulted by a pale-skinned boy with dark-blue hair and black eyes. The boy was wearing brown-colored vest over a long-sleeved, pink t-shirt and brown pants. Brown shoes covered his feet while a pair of sunglasses hung on his head.

"Whadda ya mean I can't have my Pokémon back?" The blue-haired boy demanded angrily, slamming his fist into Nurse Joy's desk. "I need ta get back ta training them! I've wasted enough time getting them healed…"

Nurse Joy frowned, "I can't give them back to you because Officer Jenny is examining them at the moment, Mr. Flats." Her eyes narrowed, actually appearing angry. "I called her when I found those horrible markings and brusies on their bodies!"

Before the blue-haired boy could respond to Nurse Joy, Officer Jenny walked into the room. Her eyes narrowed at the sight of the boy before she walked over, pulling out a pair of hand-cuffs from her skirt.

"Damian Flats you are hereby under arrest!" Officer Jenny announced. "Now, you—"

"WHAT? How can I be under arrest? I haven't done a thing!" Damian demanded, cutting Officer Jenny off with a scowl.

"You're under arrest for numerous counts of Pokémon Abuse!" Officer Jenny answered. Then, before Damian could try and refute her statement, she said. "Don't try to deny it, Damian. I have confirmed the abuse myself!"

* * *

Ash's Pokémon Team:

Eevee (Female): Level 13.

Attacks: Growl (Normal), Helping Hand (Normal), Sand-Attack (Normal), Scratch (Normal) Tackle (Normal), Tail Whip (Normal).

Pidgey (Male): Level 10.

Attacks: Sand-Attack (Ground), Tackle (Normal),

Rattata (Male): Level 11.

Attacks: Tackle (Normal), Tail Whip (Normal), and Quick Attack (Normal).

Kakuna (Male): Level 12.

Attacks: String-Shot (Bug), Poison-Sting (Poison), Bug-Bite (Bug), and Harden (Normal).

Brock's Pokémon Team:

Geodude (Male): Level 12.

Attacks: Tackle (Normal), Defense Curl (Normal), Rock Throw (Rock),and Rollout (Rock).

Onix (Male): Level 14.

Attacks: Tackle (Normal), Bind (Normal), Harden (Normal), and Rock Throw (Rock),


	8. Chapter Eight:

Disclaimer: I do not, nor have I ever, owned anything related to Nintendo's _Pokémon_ franchise.

* * *

Legend:

"A human or a Pokémon is talking."

'_A human or a Pokémon is thinking.'_

"**A machine is being used."**

* * *

Chapter Eight:

* * *

(Pewter City—Pokémon Center—Lobby)

As soon as Officer Jenny had mentioned 'Pokémon Abuse', the lobby had become deathly silent. Pokémon Abuse was a very serious topic and one not to be taken lightly.

Pokémon Abuse was the infliction of suffering or harm upon Pokémon, for purposes other than self-defense. More narrowly, Pokémon Abuse can be harm for specific gain, such as killing Pokémon for food or for their fur.

Broadly speaking, there were two approaches to this issue.

The Pokémon Welfare Association (PWA) holds that there is nothing inherently wrong with using Pokémon for human purposes, such as food, clothing, entertainment, and research, but that it should be done in a humane way that minimizes unnecessary pain and suffering.

Pokémon Rights theorists criticize this position, arguing that the words "unnecessary" and "humane" are subject to widely differing interpretations and that the only way to ensure protection for Pokémon is to end their status as property, and to ensure that they are never used as commodities.

Laws concerning Pokémon Cruelty had been designed to prevent needless cruelty to Pokémon rather than killing for other aims such as food, or they concern species not as eaten as food in the region involved, such as those regarded as pets.

In Kanto, the 1894 Pokémon Welfare and Management Act stipulated that "no person shall kill, injure, or inflict cruelty to Pokémon without due course", and in particular, criminalizes cruelty to all Pokémon possessed by Pokémon Trainers.

So, for Damian Flats to be accused of Pokémon Abuse meant that he had broken Kanto law. In addition, from Officer Jenny and Nurse Joy said, Damian Flats' Pokémon had 'long-term' signs of abuse.

Officer Jenny stepped closer to Damian, her usually kind blue eyes as hard as steel. Damian looked around himself as his heart-rate increased. He knew that the jig was up.

"If you don't come with me quietly, then I'll have to add resisting arrest to your current list of charges, Damian." Officer Jenny warned as she approached. "It would be best if you just came with me now…"

"I haven't done anything wrong!" Damian protested, backing up.

Damian had now backed himself up against the western wall of the Pokémon Center, near the wall of Video Phones. Seeing this, Officer Jenny sighed before she pulled out a Poké Ball from the pocket of her skirt with a white glove. Throwing it into the air, Officer Jenny released her Pokémon.

It was a bipedal Pokémon that resembled a tapir. Its eyes were tired looking and it had a trunk above its mouth. Its arms were quite short in length and its hands each had three fingers. The upper half of its body was yellow and the lower half was brown, with a wavy line separating the two halves.

It had a round belly and its legs were quite stubby. Its feet were brown, except for its two toes, which were yellow. The bottom of each foot had a small, round, pink colored pad in the middle of it.

The Pokémon yawned tiredly, "Drow-zee…"

Damian suddenly froze, looking at the Pokémon—Drowzee—as it began to wave its arms around, eyes glazing over slightly. Unaware of what was going on, Drowzee used its control over Damian to make the boy walk over to Officer Jenny before extending his arms out.

Officer Jenny quickly cuffed one of Damian's wrists before she pulled the arm behind Damian, followed by the boy's second arm. This was followed by a faint series of clicks as she cuffed his other wrist before tightening them to make sure Damian wouldn't escape.

Only a moment later, Damian's eyes cleared up before he began to look around himself confusedly. He soon realized his predicament as Officer Jenny recalled her Pokémon.

"What? No!" Damian shouted angrily, shaking his head as he tried in vain to remove the hand-cuffs binding his hands behind his back. "This can't be happening!"

Officer Jenny grabbed hold of Damian's bound hands before she spoke, "Damian Flats, you have the right to remain silent. Anything that you say can and will be used against you in a court of law." By now she had forced the struggling boy near the lobby's entrance. "You have the right to an attorney, and to have an attorney present during any questioning. If you cannot afford a lawyer, one will be provided for you at the government's expense."

XXXXXX

(Later—Pokémon Center—Lobby)

After Officer Jenny had arrested Damian, it had taken Nurse Joy thirty minutes to sufficiently calm everyone down. She had to do this because of the numerous questions that exploded out of people's mouths.

"How could this have happened?"

"What will happen now?"

"How long has this been going on?"

Nurse Joy had answered all of these questions to the best of her abilities and as calmly as the situation allowed. Soon, however, Nurse Joy had managed to answer everyone's questions before sending them on their ways.

At the moment, both Ash and Brock were approaching Nurse Joy—each holding a tray containing their Pokémon's Poké Balls—as they each needed to get their Pokémon healed.

Hearing their footsteps, Nurse Joy looked upwards and forced a smile onto her face. "What can I do for you today?"

"Could you heal our Pokémon, Joy?" Brock asked.

"Of course I can. Just hand me your trays and I'll be right on it."

Without any further ado, both Ash and Brock handed their trays to Nurse Joy. Taking them, Nurse Joy placed Brock's tray underneath Ash's—as Eevee was sitting on top of Ash's tray—before she began walking away.

Brock sighed, "… I hope that Joy will be okay…"

"Huh?" Ash asked, turning to the older male. "What do you mean Brock?"  
"Usually, when I come here, me and Joy will engage in some idle chit-chat… However, as you saw, she Ldidn't seem in the mood to talk." Brock answered with a frown. "She only never wants to talk when she's not feeling well…"

Frowning, Ash nodded. He hadn't quite noticed anything was wrong but if Brock—somebody that knew this Nurse Joy—could tell something was up, then it could be.

Ash wondered if he could o something to make Nurse Joy feel better, if only a little bit.

XXXXXX

(Sometime later—With Nurse Joy)

After she had given Ash and Brock their recently-healed Pokémon back to them, Nurse Joy had left to go check on Damian Flats' former Pokémon. Walking through the halls, she passed a couple of her Chansey before she had reached the observation room.

Opening the door, Nurse Joy silently walked into the room. The first sight she glimpsed was of the poor, emaciated, and abused Pokémon sleeping on beds. Around each bed was an array of medical equipment that was monitoring their health.

Looking at all of them, Nurse Joy felt like she could cry. It wasn't fair for these Pokémon to have suffered as they had. In addition, what made this worse was that all of these Pokémon were children.

"F-Fairy…"

Spinning around, Nurse Joy's eyes widened as she saw that—despite having been sedated—one of the Pokémon was getting up.

It was a small pink creature that was slightly rounded in appearance with dark-brown ears. It had two small black eyes, a small mouth with an elongated left canine. It had stocky arms with three digits on each of its hands. Each of its feet had a single clawed toe.

This Pokémon also had a large curl on its forehead, just above its small black eyes. It also had small wings on its back, which were incapable of flight but would allow it to jump higher than it normally would.

Nurse Joy watched as the poor thing looked around the room, a mixture of confusion and fear in its eyes. When it spotted her, the Pokémon's eyes widened in fright before it backed up on the bed, repeating its name over and over again in pure terror.

It broke Nurse Joy's heart to see such a young Pokémon react like this.

"It's okay, Clefairy." Nurse Joy said with a soft, tender tone in her voice as she slowly approached the abused Pokémon. "I'm not going to hurt you."

Clefairy's back hit the edge of its headboard, shaking its head from side to side. "Clefairy! Cle Fairy Cle-Fairy Fairy!"

Nurse Joy closed the distance separating her from Clefairy before easing herself onto its bed, whispering sweet nothings to the terrified Pokémon. Then, she carefully reached out and grabbed Clefairy before pulling it close to her chest. She ignored the pain that Clefairy's little fists caused her as it tried to escape her grasp, instead beginning to rock it in her arms.

"Cle… Clefairy!" Clefairy cried as she raked her nails against the arms that held her desperately, slowly tiring herself out. "Clefairy Cle! Clefairy Fairy… Clefairy…!"

"Hush, little one. Everything is going to be okay."

Nurse Joy continued to sit there rocking Clefairy until sleep had taken hold of it. Careful not to disturb Clefairy, Nurse Joy got up before she walked out of the observation. She had thought about leaving Clefairy with her sleeping, sedated companions but had dismissed the thought soon afterwards.

Now that she had fallen asleep, Nurse Joy didn't know how Clefairy would react if she wasn't there when it woke up.

Nurse Joy made her rounds—checking in on all of the other sick Pokémon in her care—smiling as she passed one of her Chansey. Then, exhausted, she made her way back to the lobby, once to be met with a blinding, bright flash as she opened the door.

"SURPRISE!"

Blinking the dark spots out of her vision, Nurse Joy looked around, only to see that her lobby had been transformed.

A multitude of streamers and balloons hung near the ceiling while beautiful pink sheets covered tables that had been moved into the room. Littered on the tables were small party favors, refreshments, and hors d'oeuvres.

There was even a banner that read:

Thank you Nurse Joy! You're the best!

Nurse Joy's eyes widened even further when she caught sight of her younger sister standing on the right side of Ash. Her sister smiled before she rushed over and embraced her in a loose hug—careful not to disturb or jostle Clefairy—which relieved her greatly.

However, despite how nice this all felt, Nurse Joy was still confused. "What's going on?"

The younger Nurse Joy laughed before she motioned for Ash to come forward. Seeing this, Ash walked forward until he was only a foot away from the two Nurse Joys.

"Ash contacted me in Viridian City this afternoon." The younger Nurse Joy explained before frowning a bit. "After what he told me, I figured that I could pop over for a bit." She laughed softly. "I didn't plan on throwing a party but… everyone here convinced me."

"Ash, is this true?" Nurse Joy asked, touched.

"Well, yeah… I guess." Ash nodded, looking down. "You just looked so down earlier and I thought—"

Ash was unable to finish his sentence as, in the next moment, Nurse Joy drew him close and hugged him with her only available arm. She held him there for a minute or two before letting him go, tears prickling in the edges of her eyes.

"Thank you, Ash."

XXXXXX

(Later—Kanto—Pewter City)

Once Nurse Joy's surprise party had officially ended, Ash had retreated back to his room to get some well-needed rest. He slept until 2:00 in the afternoon before he actually looked at the clock, realized what time it was, and got out of bed.

After taking a shower and getting dressed, Ash picked up his backpack from the foot of his bed and left his room. He ran down the hallway, down the hallways and staircase, and burst into the lobby.

Fortunately for him, it appeared that neither Nurse Joy was here at the moment; he wouldn't get scolded.

"No running in the Pokémon Center."

Turning around slowly, Ash cursed to himself when he saw that Nurse Joy was standing right behind him. He then rubbed the back of his head, said he was sorry, and then promised her that he wouldn't do it again.

Nurse Joy looked at him suspiciously for a couple of moments—mirth shining through her mock-serious expression—before she shook her head. "I'm sure you won't." She waved her hand towards the door to the lobby. "Now, off you go! And no running!"

XXXXXX

Twenty minutes later found Ash standing before the entrance to Pewter City's Museum of Science. He had heard about how cool the museum was supposed to be last night and intrigued, he wanted to experience it himself.

Walking into the museum, Ash was stopped by a brown-haired man sitting behind a desk on the left side of the entryway.

"If you want to see the museum, it'll cost you ¥50." The man stated.

Nodding, Ash reached into his pocket as he walked over before he gave the needed money to the brown-haired man. The man took the money, put it into the nearby register, and then handed Ash a blue ticket.

"The museum closes in an hour. So, until then, enjoy yourself."

Ash grinned, "Thanks! I will."

Walking away from the desk, Ash wondered why it was right next to the entrance of the museum before he turned around a corner. There, he came face-to-face with the first exhibit; a large glass case in which fossilized remains of Kabuto and Kabutops stood.

At least, that is what the plague to the case said.

Either way, it was still pretty cool. Ash stared at the two fossilize Pokémon for a few minutes before the wonder wore off and turned to leave. It was then that a seemingly random thought struck him.

Unclipping his Poké Balls from his belt, Ash then released his four Pokémon. Ordinarily, Eevee would have been on his shoulder, though he had recalled her back to her Poké Ball last night when it was getting late.

Ash then watched as his Pokémon looked around the room they were in wonder, eyes darting to the exhibits that caught their eyes. He looked down when Eevee looked up at him with somewhat begging expression on her face before he offered her his shoulder.

That done, Ash then addressed his other Pokémon. "We're in the Pewter City Museum of Science!" He pointed to the Kabuto/Kabutops exhibit behind him. "This is a display holding the fossils of Kabuto and Kabutops; Pokémon that became extinct hundreds of years ago."

"Pidgey."

"Ratta Rattata."

"Na."

"Eevee, Ve Eevee."

Soon after, Ash led his Pokémon away from the Kabuto/Kabutops exhibit. He didn't know where the other exhibits were but finding them was half the fun!

"Hey, look at this guys!" Ash called out as he stood before yet another display. "This fossil is supposed to be that of an Aeodactyl!" He grinned. "It looks so cool!"

"Eevee Ve Ee-V-E, Ve Eevee!" Eevee yipped in agreement.

Pidgey recoiled in fear, "Pidgey!" Pidgey turned before he ran behind Ash's legs, shaking. "Pidge Pi Pidgey!"

"Don't be silly, Pidgey." Ash laughed. "Aerodactyl went extinct hundreds of years ago."

Rattata looked awed as he sat before the glass, looking up at the fossil of the Aerodactyl. "Rattata… Ratta Tata Rattata..."

"Kakuna Na. Kakuna"

Five minutes later, Ash left the Aerodactyl exhibit after he had finally convinced that the Aerodactyl wouldn't eat it as there were all extinct. He then led his Pokémon up the stairs and onto the second floor.

There, they saw something that instantly captured everyone's attention: there was a gigantic space-ship in the middle of the room! In fact, it looked like the ship that humans had first used to travel to the moon.

Ash grinned, "Awesome! I should've brought a camera. Mom would love to see this!"

"Ve!" Eevee yipped.

Pidgey chirped excitedly, "Pidge."

"Rattata!"

"Na Kakuna."

"Oh, look! We can actually get on it! C'mon, guys, let's go see what it's like to sit in it!" Ash said as he raced towards the space ship. "I bet it'll be awesome!"

* * *

Ash's Pokémon Team:

Eevee (Female): Level 13.

Attacks: Growl (Normal), Helping Hand (Normal), Sand-Attack (Normal), Scratch (Normal) Tackle (Normal), Tail Whip (Normal).

Pidgey (Male): Level 10.

Attacks: Sand-Attack (Ground), Tackle (Normal),

Rattata (Male): Level 11.

Attacks: Tackle (Normal), Tail Whip (Normal), and Quick Attack (Normal).

Kakuna (Male): Level 12.

Attacks: String-Shot (Bug), Poison-Sting (Poison), Bug-Bite (Bug), and Harden (Normal).

(Pewter City) Officer Jenny's Pokémon Team:

Drowzee (Male): Level 20.

Attacks: Pound (Normal), Hypnosis (Psychic), Disable (Psychic), Confusion (Psychic), and Headbutt (Normal).

* * *

**A/N: Author's Note;** This chapter was updated as of 05/31/2012.


	9. Chapter Nine:

Disclaimer: I do not, nor have I ever, owned anything related to Nintendo's _Pokémon_ franchise.

* * *

Legend:

"A human or a Pokémon is talking."

'_A human or a Pokémon is thinking.'_

"**A machine is being used."**

* * *

Chapter Nine:

* * *

(Kanto—Pewter City)

After the museum had closed down for the day, Ash had taken his Pokémon out to Geodude Park to train. Then, a few hours later, he recalled his exhausted team back to their Poké Balls and was off towards the Pokémon Center.

Once Nurse Joy had healed them—and he had thanked her—Ash went towards the Pokémon Center's cafeteria before he had a late lunch with his Pokémon. He then recalled all but Eevee to their Poké Balls and left to go find a nearby PokéMart.

If he was going to leave tomorrow morning, then he would need to get some new supplies.

Twenty minutes later, Ash entered the PokéMart after having asked several people on the street for directions. He then grabbed a small basket from a nearby stack and began walking around the store, looking for stuff he thought he would need.

Eevee looked at the store in awed curiosity, having never seen a place like this before in her life. "… Ve?"

Looking up, Ash saw that Eevee was looking towards a shelf that contained small, medium, and large bottles of Awakening—a special medicine that could wake up sleeping Pokémon.

Ash picked up a bottle, bit his lip, and debated over whether or not he should get it. It would help him if any of his Pokémon fell asleep in battle. Especially if the Pokémon his team was battling knew Sing, Sleep Powder, or Hypnosis. However, if he did get a bottle, it could put a dent in his meager funds.

Finally, Ash decided. "Yeah… I'll get it." He put a medium-sized bottle of Awakening inside his basket, near the other items he had gotten. "But this is the last thing, okay Eevee?"

"Eevee, Ee-V-E." Eevee yipped.

With that, Ash walked over to the cashier—a tall black-haired man in a red uniform—before he pulled his items out of his basket and onto the counter. Alongside the Awakening, he would be getting some canned goods, five Poké Balls, and two Potions.

"That'll be ¥2100, kid."

Ash winced at the price but nodded anyway, pulling out his wallet. He then pulled out the money and handed it to the cashier. The cashier took the money, put it in the cash register, printed out Ash a receipt, and then handed Ash his plastic bags. Taking the bags, Ash thanked the cashier before he left the PokéMart.

Once they were outside, Eevee turned to him with a confused expression on her face. "Ve Eevee Eve Eevee?"

"We're going to stay one more night at the 'Center and then we'll get back on the road. We'll have to travel through Route Three, Mt. Moon, and then Route Four before we get to Cerulean City." Ash answered back. "It's going to be a long trip!"

"Eevee Eve Ve Eevee Eve, Ee-V-E?" Eevee asked.

"I know that because of the map Jimmy gave me. On the back it has a list of all the different routes, towns, and a lot of other things…" Ash responded before he paused. "I'll have to thank Jimmy the next time I see him."

XXXXXX

(Meanwhile—Pewter City—Pokémon Center)

"Clefairy Cle-fairy. Fairy Clefairy Cle Clefairy!"

Rocking Clefairy in her arms, Nurse Joy once again tried to soothe Clefairy. For some reason, Clefairy had woken up a few hours ago and began to cry. Nurse Joy was doing her best to calm Clefairy down but, so far, nothing was working.

"Hush, little one… hush…" Nurse Joy whispered in the agitated Pokémon's ear as she rubbed Clefairy's back. "There's no need to cry. Come on now, it's okay—"

Through some kind of miracle, that actually seemed to work. Clefairy stopped crying and opened her eyes, ears perking up, before it began to struggle within Nurse Joy's arms.

Nurse Joy winced in pain as Clefairy raked its claws against her arm, her grip loosening just enough for Clefairy to squeeze out and jump to the floor. Clefairy got a five second head start down the hall before Nurse Joy had recovered and began running after it.

Coming to the door to the lobby, Clefairy actually used Pound to force open the door. It then rushed out into the lobby, making a beeline for a certain Pokémon Trainer who had just entered the Pokémon Center.

XXXXXX

"Clefairy!"

Ash stumbled when what seemed to be a pink blur hit his left leg before he felt tiny arms wrap around the appendage. Looking down, Ash's eyes widened when he saw just what was holding his leg.

It was a small, emaciated Clefairy with multiple, multicolored bruises covering the majority of its body. It also had a few scars visible through its short, pink fur. "Clefairy Cle… Clefairy Fairy…"

In the next moment, Eevee jumped off of Ash's shoulder before she landed on the ground, startling Clefairy. The two Pokémon looked at each other—one in confusion and the other in slight fear—for a few moments.

As this was happening, Nurse Joy walked into the lobby with a pink hue covering her cheeks. She looked around the lobby for a moment before she spotted what was going on.

"Eevee Eve Eevee Ve Eve Ee-V-E?" Eevee asked with a tilt of her head, simply curious. "Eevee Ve Eevee Eve?"

Clefairy turned away from Eevee before she clutched Ash's leg a little bit harder. Burying her head into the fabric on his leg, she relished in the comforting air that surround him. For the first time, she actually didn't feel scared while being close to a Human.

"… Clefairy, Cle Fairy Clefairy." Clefairy tentatively answered.

Eevee looked confused, "Eevee? Eevee Ve Eve Ee-V-E Eevee Ve… Eevee?"

"Clefairy F-Fairy…"

"Ve. Eevee Ee-V-E Ve Eve Eevee Ve." Eevee responded kindly.

Clefairy nodded.

Ash was confused, "What's going on here?"

Looking up to him, Eevee quickly began to repeat what was just said. She then made a motion towards Clefairy before his belt of Poké Balls, which confused him even more. What was Eevee saying?

"Clefairy was one of the Pokémon that used to belong to Damian Flats." Nurse Joy said as she approached. "She woke up last night frightened and I calmed her down…" She sighed. "Right about when you left today, however, she woke up and began crying. When you came back, she stopped crying, struggled out of my arms, and then rushed through the hallways until she got here…"

"Eevee Eve Ee-V-E."

"… Are you telling me that this Clefairy feels most comfortable with… me?" Ash asked.

Clefairy nodded, "Cle."

"B-But why? I mean, why would I make you feel more comfortable? I don't even know how to—Nurse Joy would be so much better than me." Ash rambled with a nervous frown on his face. "I wouldn't even know how…" He swallowed thickly. "… How to make you healthy again."

Clefairy shook her head softly before she clutched his leg even tighter, "Clefairy Cle-fairy!"

"I don't think that you have much of a choice in this Ash." Nurse Joy stated before her face softened. "I know you must be confused and wondering how you can help but… it won't be too bad."

Biting his lip, Ash looked down towards Clefairy. She seemed to sense him as she turned her head upwards and viewed him with a hopeful, happy expression on her face. This look, combined with Nurse Joy's words, washed his doubts away.

He needed to do this.

Ash unclipped one of the empty Poké Balls from his belt before, leaning down, he pressed it against Clefairy's forehead. Before she was absorbed into it, Clefairy gave him a tentative smile at him, her head ducked slightly.

The Poké Ball rocked in Ash's hand for a couple of moments before it stilled. A faint ding was then heard, signaling that Clefairy had been successfully captured.

Even if he didn't know Clefairy that well, he would do his best to help her. So, with this in mind, Ash called Eevee to his shoulder before he stood up and faced Nurse Joy.

"You're going to need some supplies." Nurse Joy said before she began walking away.

XXXXXX

(Later—Kanto—Route Three)

After he had gotten all of the supplies he needed from Nurse Joy, Ash had gone out to the cafeteria to get some dinner. There, he called out all of his Pokémon so he could introduce Clefairy to his older Pokémon.

Once everyone had gotten acquainted with each other, he had went over and gotten some food for him and his Pokémon. Then, when everyone had finished, Ash had packed up, recalled all but Eevee to their Poké Balls, and went up to his room.

When he woke up, he had gotten ready before handing his room-key to Nurse Joy. Taking it, she gave him a few last-minute tips regarding Clefairy and sent him off. Waving goodbye, he left Pewter City and set upon Route Three.

At the moment, Ash had just finished his battle against a girl named Janice, who handed him ¥144. He looked at the money for a moment before he looked at Janice, confused. She laughed.

"Don't you know that when you win, you win a small amount of money from the other Pokémon Trainer?" Janice asked.

Ash shook his head, "No."

"… You get ¥144 from me because of the level of my Pokémon. Usually, if Trainers don't say how much they want to bet, the levels of their Pokémon are used to determine the price." Janice explained. "So, the higher level your Pokémon are, the more you have to pay. Get it?"

Ash nodded, "But what if the other Trainer doesn't have any money? How will the loser pay then?"

"Well, if that happens, then the Trainer could transfer some of their Newbie Pack funds." Janice paused when she saw Ash's confused expression. "… You don't know what a newbie pack is, do you?"

"No. What is it?"

"A Newbie Pack is what every Pokémon Trainer gets when they start their journey: a Starter Pokémon, six Poké Balls, a Pokédex, and ¥1000." Janice answered.

Ash nodded.

"If I didn't have any money, I would use my Pokédex to access my bank account, and transfer the money I bet you." Janice said. "However, if I had exhausted that… the next time I won, my money would go to the person I owed."

"Okay, I get it now."

Janice smiled, "Glad I could help out, Ash." Turning around, Janice winked at him. "Maybe I'll see you later."

With that, Janice left. Ash stared after her for a moment before he pulled out his wallet, put his winnings into it, put his wallet back, and then began walking in the opposite direction.

XXXXXX

"I challenge you to a battle!"

Turning around, Ash saw a small brown-haired boy pointing at him with a determined glint in his black eyes.

The boy was wearing a pair of blue shorts, a white shirt, blue sandals, and a blue-white backpack. He was also carrying an enormous white net, signifying that he had a preference towards Bug-Type Pokémon.

"Alright. Let's find a place to batt—" Ash began.

"My name is James! The Bug Catcher James!" The kid—James—interrupted. "And I know the perfect place to battle!"

Then, without warning, James spun around before he began to march off with Ash following him. When James stopped, both Trainers found themselves in an open, rocky area. There were a few Geodude scattered around the area but, seeing Ash and James, they quickly ran away.

Without missing a beat, James rushed towards the other end of their makeshift battlefield before he climbed on top of a boulder.

"Alright! Let's go, Caterpie!" James said as he released his first Pokémon.

There was a bright flash of light before James' Caterpie was revealed to the world. Caterpie was a small, green caterpillar-like Pokémon with a yellow underbelly and bright-red antennae. It also had yellow ring-shaped markings running down the side of its body and around both of its eyes.

Ash looked at Caterpie for a moment before he unclipped Pidgey's Poké Ball from his belt and released Pidgey onto the battlefield. In the air, Pidgey looked around the battlefield before he spotted Caterpie and screeched, intimidating it.

That done, Pidgey glided over and then landed on the ground directly before his Trainer. "Pidgey Pi Pidgey Pidge!"

"Caterpie, use your String-Shot!" James ordered.

Nodding, Caterpie then opened its mouth before it spewed a small string of sticky material towards Pidgey. Ash quickly ordered for Pidgey to get into the air who obeyed—dodging the String-Shot—before the Pokémon screeched warningly. Caterpie flinched.

"Use Gust!" Ash commanded.

Pidgey obliged by beginning to flap his wings at a high speed. Soon enough, a small tornado began to form before Pidgey before he launched it towards Caterpie. The other Pokémon didn't have enough to dodge so it was sucked into the tornado only to be thrown out a few moments later.

As the tornado began to dissipate, Caterpie hit the ground with a groan before it struggled to get back up.

"Let's finish this off, Pidgey." Ash ordered. "Use your Quick Attack!"

Pidgey tipped his wing slightly before he came back around. He then extended his talons and dived towards Caterpie at an amazing speed, a faint white glow beginning to surround his body.

James looked nervous, "Dodge it Caterpie!"

Obeying its Trainer, Caterpie managed to force itself up before it saw Pidgey rocketing towards it. It then jumped to the side, causing Pidgey to miss, before Pidgey swerved around. This time, Pidgey managed to hit Caterpie before the other Pokémon could react.

A small amount of dust was sent into the air when Caterpie landed with a grunt. Then, as the dust settled back down, it revealed Caterpie to be unconscious.

James huffed in annoyance before he recalled Caterpie. That done, James then reached into his backpack and took out another Poké Ball. "Let's see if your Pidgey can deal with this! Go, Metapod!"

"… Metapod…" Metapod intoned monotonously after it had finished materializing, looking around before it spotted Pidgey. Unlike Caterpie, Metapod didn't seem all that intimidated. "Pod Meta-pod met."

Pidgey's eyes narrowed, "Pidgey! Pi Pidgey!"

"Pidgey, use Tackle!" Ash ordered.

"Metapod, Harden!" James countered.

As Pidgey dived down towards Metapod, Metapod began to glow a brilliant, yellowish-white color. Ash's eyes widened at this; he couldn't let Pidgey hit Metapod now. If Pidgey did hit Metapod, he would take the most damage.

"Pidgey, don't hit Metapod!" Ash called out quickly. "Use your talons to grab it instead!"

James frowned, "Use your String-Shot!"

Twisting in mid-air, Pidgey managed to adjust itself so that it didn't actually hit Metapod as it flew past, though Metapod's String-Shot came awfully close to hitting Pidgey. Pidgey turned around and, flying low, flew towards Metapod at a rapid speed, talons extended.

Multiple smaller, almost bullet-like globs of sticky white material were launched from the top of Metapod's head and towards Pidgey. While many of these globs came very close to hitting Pidgey, Pidgey managed to fly under, over, and around them.

"Metapod!"

Using his talons, Pidgey grabbed Metapod before he flew high in the air. Even though his Trainer hadn't said much, Pidgey had caught the gist of his Trainer's plan. So, when he was 100 feet in the air, Pidgey released his hold on Metapod and allowed the other Pokémon to plummet towards the ground.

James' eyes widened in alarm, "Metapod!"

It was only a few moments later that Metapod hit the ground with a boom, sending a good-sized, mushroom-shaped column of dust into the air. A couple of minutes passed before the dust settled and revealed Metapod.

The drop had caused numerous cracks to form all along Metapod's shell—a specific lightning-shaped crack falling down from its eyes—along with some bruises. However, despite the pain it must've been in, Metapod was still conscious.

"Alright Pidgey, let's finish this off with another Quick Attack!" Ash ordered.

Pidgey nodded in agreement before it dived towards Metapod, his talons extended once again. Like before, a white hue appeared around Pidgey and increased his speed. Seeing the danger, James hurriedly told his Pokémon to use Harden again. It soon became apparent, however, that Metapod simply didn't have enough energy to use the move again.

So, ten seconds later, Pidgey slammed into Metapod's body with his talons and quickly knocked Metapod out. Feathers ruffled slightly, Pidgey flew back over to Ash as James grumpily recalled his Pokémon.

Once that was done, James walked over to Ash. James pulled out ¥130 from his pocket before he handed it over to Ash. Ash took the money, put it in his wallet, put his wallet away, and then shook James' extended hand.

"You might want to think of getting some other Pokémon so this won't happen again." Ash advised.

XXXXXX

(Later—Kanto—Route three)

"Dinner time!"

Following this statement were four flashes of light as Pidgey, Kakuna, Rattata, and Clefairy were released.

Frightened, Clefairy looked around for a moment before she spotted Ash, ran over to him, and buried her head into his shirt. Ash smiled and picked Clefairy up, only to set her in front of her very-own food bowl a moment later.

"You need to eat, Clefairy." Ash said with a somewhat stern expression on his face, ignoring Clefairy's pout. He then looked around, seeing all his other Pokémon looking at him. "And that goes for you guys too; start eating."

He didn't need to say it twice. Bar Clefairy, all of his Pokémon descended on their bowls PokéChow as if they were their own worst enemy. After a couple minutes, all of them had finished except Clefairy, who had barely eaten a few pellets.

Ash sighed, "… If you can't anymore then you can just tell me. I'll put it away for later."

Clefairy nodded shallowly before she picked up her bowl and handed it back to him. Ash took the bowl, emptied its contents back into his bag of PokéChow, and put the bowl back in his backpack. He then zipped the top of the PokéChow bag shut and put it in his backpack too.

Eevee padded over to Ash before she looked up at him, "Ve Eevee Eve, Ee-V-E?"

"I think we're about… two miles away from Mt. Moon?" Ash stated as he looked at his map, a bit confused. "At least… I think we're two miles away…" He turned the map around in his hands, squinting at it. "Its kind hard to tell…"

"… Clefairy Cle fairy." Clefairy murmured as she snuggled into Ash's side.

"What? We're only a mile away?" Ash asked as he looked down at Clefairy. "Are you sure?"

Clefairy nodded tiredly.

Ash grinned, "That's great news! We can set out early in the morning and then get through Mt. Moon tomorrow. All we'll have to do then is cross Route Four and then we'll be in Cerulean City!"

* * *

Ash's Pokémon Team:

Eevee (Female): Level 14.

Attacks: Growl (Normal), Helping Hand (Normal), Sand-Attack (Normal), Scratch (Normal) Tackle (Normal), Tail Whip (Normal).

Pidgey (Male): Level 11.

Attacks: Sand-Attack (Ground), Tackle (Normal), Gust (Flying), and Quick Attack (Normal).

Rattata (Male): Level 12.

Attacks: Tackle (Normal), Tail Whip (Normal), and Quick Attack (Normal).

Kakuna (Male): Level 12.

Attacks: String-Shot (Bug), Poison-Sting (Poison), Bug-Bite (Bug), and Harden (Normal).

Clefairy (Female): Level 7.

Attacks: Pound (Normal) and Sing (Normal).

James' Pokémon Team:

Caterpie (Female): Level 11.

Attacks: Tackle (Normal) and String-Shot (Bug).

Metapod (Male): Level 12.

Attacks: Tackle (Normal), String-Shot (Bug, and Harden (Bug).

* * *

**A/N: Author's Note: **This chapter was updated as of 06/02/2012.


	10. Chapter 10:

Disclaimer: I do not, nor have I ever, owned anything related to Nintendo's _Pokémon_ franchise.

* * *

Legend:

"A human or a Pokémon is talking."

'_A human or a Pokémon is thinking.'_

"**A machine is being used."**

* * *

Chapter 10:

* * *

(Kanto—Route Three)

Ash Ketchum woke up to the chirping of some nearby Pidgey. Grumbling sleepily, he pulled his sleeping-bag over his head and tried to get back to sleep. He tossed and turned around in the bag for a few minutes before—defeated—he crawled out of his sleeping-bag.

Once he had stretched for a bit, Ash looked out to see that the small campfire he'd made last night was gone. His stomach growled then, causing Ash to blush slightly, before he carefully tip-toed towards his backpack.

Rummaging around in his backpack, Ash quickly removed his bag of PokéChow and his Pokémon's food bowls. He was just returning the PokéChow to his backpack after he had filled the bowls when he saw something: the special bags that Nurse Joy had given him.

Ash looked at the bags for a minute, wondering why he had them again, before he remembered. Nurse Joy had given him the bags as she said that Clefairy wouldn't be able to eat normal food for a while. The bags were supposed to contain a special slurry of different food-stuffs that Clefairy would need to eat/drink to get better.

No wonder Clefairy hadn't eaten any of her food last night; she knew that her stomach couldn't handle regular PokéChow.

Ash looked at the bags with a guilty expression. How could he have forgotten to give Clefairy some of this stuff, after what Nurse Joy had told him?

"… Clefairy, Cle-fairy?"

Turning around, Ash saw that Clefairy had just woken up. She looked around from her place on his sleeping-bag before she looked at him with a tired and curious expression on her face.

"… You must be hungry." Ash said after a moment. "I'll get you some food before waking up the others, okay?"

Clefairy nodded, yawning. "Fairy…"

Ash quickly retrieved Clefairy's bowl, opened up a package of slurry, and poured it into the bowl before he placed it on the ground in front of Clefairy. Clefairy sniffed the bowl for a moment, then began to start licking it up.

With that done, Ash got up before he went to wake up his other Pokémon. Once up, each looked at him grumpily before they spotted their food bowls and wandered over.

"Eat up, guys. We've got a long day ahead of us today." Ash said as he dug into his own breakfast—a couple of sandwiches and a bottle of water.

Clefairy was the first to finish. Picking up her empty bowl, she quietly walked over to Ash before she handed him the bowl. After Ash had taken the bowl from her, Clefairy crawled up into his lap. There, she closed her eyes, sighed contently, and began to snore.

'_I won't forget again Clefairy.'_ Ash thought, clenching his hands. _'I'll remember everything that Nurse Joy said and help you get better. That is my promise to you.'_

XXXXXX

Once everyone had finished their breakfast, Ash had dumped his Pokémon's leftovers into his PokéChow bag. He had put the bowls back into his backpack and then rolled up and tied his sleeping-bag to the top of his backpack.

Ash then recalled Kakuna, Rattata, and Pidgey back into their Poké Balls. He had thought about recalling Clefairy to her ball but some part of him rebelled against the idea. It was because of that he was carrying Clefairy in his arms while Eevee rode on top of his right shoulder.

At the moment, Ash was walking down an old, dirt path. He was excited because of how close Mt. Moon appeared as it meant that he was almost there.

Turning around a nearby corner, Ash caught sight of a Pokémon Battle going on between two Pokémon Trainers.

On one side of the makeshift battlefield was a young, brown-haired boy with black eyes. He was wearing a brown t-shirt, dark-blue shorts, white socks, and dark-blue sneakers. The Pokémon that this boy was using was a Rattata.

On the other side of the battlefield was a fair-skinned girl with shoulder-length purple hair and purple eyes. She was wearing white shirt with a black vest, a pair of black jeans, and black sneakers. Her purple-white backpack lay on the ground, next to her foot, five feet away from her Pokémon.

It was a bipedal, dark-yellow Pokémon that loosely resembled a fox. It had two short, foxlike ears on the top of its head while its two eyes were closed. It had two brown, pauldron-shaped pieces on its shoulders and a fauld-like piece around its chest.

This Pokémon also had three fingers on each of its hands and three toes, two in the front of either side, and one in the back near the ankle. Its tail, which was fairly thick, had a small brown band that was wrapped around it, near the top.

Ash moved Clefairy into one arm before he used his other to grab his Pokédex from his pocket, **"Abra: The Psi Pokémon. Using their psychic powers is such a strain that an Abra needs to sleep 18 hours a day."**

"You might have beaten Ekans but you stand no chance against my Rattata." The brown-haired boy shouted angrily. "Rattata, use Quick-Attack!"

The girl watched as Rattata rapidly approached her Abra, frowning. Hadn't that boy learned that direct assaults wouldn't work against her Pokémon? She sighed, closing her eyes for a brief moment, before she said:

"Teleport, my friend."

With that, Abra vanished within a brief flash of yellow light, only to reappear ten feet away from his former location. Rattata raced past him not a second later—chattering excitedly—slowing down when it noticed he wasn't there anymore.

The girl smiled faintly, "Use Psyshock."

Abra nodded before he crossed his arms before himself and began to gather psychic energy in a blob before himself.

'_Well done, my friend. Now use Teleport again.'_ The girl thought.

The boy hurriedly told his Rattata to dodge when Abra seemed like he would launch his attack, which it did. He grew surprised, however, when Abra teleported again. Just what was going on here?

"Ab—" Abra began as he reappeared directly above Rattata. "—RA!"

With that, Abra uncrossed his arms and sent his Psyshock rocketing towards Rattata. There was simply no time to dodge or do anything else as, only seconds later, Abra's Psyshock impacted against Rattata's back.

The force of the attack caused Rattata to be forced onto its stomach before Abra's Psyshock actually exploded in a flash of white light. Abra teleported again, moments before the resulting smoke could reach him, to the girl's side.

When the smoke finally dissipated, it revealed Rattata to be lying within a five-foot deep crater with numerous burns covering its back. It also revealed that Rattata had fallen unconscious, Abra's attack appearing to have been too much for the poor thing.

Frowning, the boy recalled his Pokémon before he walked up to the girl. He grumbled a bit before he handed her some money. Taking the money, she put it inside of her wallet and then put her wallet away.

"I would suggest that you learn not to try direct, frontal assaults when you know that your enemy can dodge them." The girl advised. "You have to be creative when facing an opponent that can dodge."

By this point, the boy was already walking away. "Blah, blah, blah…" He shrugged. "See you later, Anabel…"

Shaking her head, Anabel sighed before she turned away. It was there that she saw another Pokémon Trainer 50 feet away from her, carrying two Pokémon: a Clefairy in his arms and an Eevee on his shoulder.

The Trainer in question had short and spiky black hair, brown eyes, and what looked like zigzags on his cheeks. He was wearing a black shirt, a sleeveless blue jacket, blue jeans, white sneakers, and an Indigo League Expo hat.

Anabel's eyes narrowed in anger when she got a closer glimpse at the Clefairy—catching the fading bruises and the bones that jutted out of its fur. That Pokémon had obviously been abused.

In her anger, she would have marched over there and given the Trainer a severe tongue-lashing, maybe even have slapped him. She was stopped, however, when she felt the emotions that were radiating off of the Clefairy.

Clefairy was feeling happy. Though there was still some underlying fear and uncertainty, it was obvious that Clefairy didn't feel any of those emotions towards its Trainer.

'_He can't have abused that Clefairy if it actually feels safe within his arms…'_ Anabel thought as she calmed down.

The black-haired Trainer reached her not a few seconds later, allowing her to feel his excitement and awe as well as see it in his eyes. From the way he stared, he must've seen the battle she had with Ben earlier.

"That battle was amazing!" The black-haired Trainer stated—confirming Anabel's thoughts—with a excited grin. "I never knew that a Pokémon could teleport with an attack before!"

It seemed that his grin was infectious, as Anabel couldn't help the smile that slowly appeared on her face. "Thanks. I have been working with Abra on that particular combination for a while." She spared a fond glance at Abra. "He's gotten so good at it that I'm considering trying to teach him something new."

"It is a really good combo… Uh…" The black-haired Trainer's cheeks reddened in embarrassment. "Sorry, I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Ash Ketchum."

Eevee glared at its Trainer, looking mildly insulted. "Eevee Eve Eevee, Ee-V-E?"

Anabel had to hold back a chuckle as she watched Ash shrink back from his Eevee's verbal assault. It was really funny to watch him hurriedly apologize to Eevee and Clefairy before he introduced them to her.

"It's nice to meet you three. My name is Anabel White and this—" Anabel patted her now-sleeping Pokémon on the head fondly. "—is my friend Abra."

Shifting Clefairy, Ash then reached out and shook Anabel's hand. "It's nice to meet you Anabel."

XXXXXX

Soon after they had introduced themselves to one another, Anabel had offered Ash help on navigating his way through Mt. Moon.

Then, seeing his confused expression, Anabel explained how 'troublesome' it was to travel through Mt. Moon's system of tunnels, even with a map of them. She had then gone on to explain how she also needed to cross Mt. Moon as well, so it wouldn't really be an inconvenience for her.

Smiling, Ash had thanked Anabel and accepted her offer. With that done, both Pokémon Trainers packed up their things before they started walking.

However, just when Ash and Anabel were about a few hundred feet away from one entrance into the mountain, a swarm of Zubat poured out of it. Seeing them, the swarm dived towards them, screeching as they did so.

Ash quickly placed Clefairy on the ground as Eevee jumped off of his shoulder. At the same time, Anabel released Abra before she hurriedly ordered him to use Psyshock.

It was only seconds later that the swarm of Zubat was upon them.

"Ab—" Abra began as he sent more psychic energy into the growing sphere in front of his crossed arms. "—RA!"

It was only moments later that Abra's attack hit the first 'layer' of the Zubat swarm before it exploded in white light. The Zubat that were caught in and around the explosion fell down, unconscious. However, this only seemed to enrage the Zubat even more than they were.

"Teleport and then follow up with another Psyshock, my friend" Anabel ordered.

"Eevee, use your Helping-Hand on Abra!"

With that, what appeared to be a blue lightning bolt flew from behind Anabel and hit Abra, who became outlined in a blue glow. Anabel looked at Ash with a startled expression, having forgotten she wasn't alone. He smiled at her then before they both turned back to the battle.

Abra had just reappeared directly underneath the remaining Zubat with a five-by-five large sphere of psychic energy in front of him. "—RA!"

The Psyshock hit the majority of the remaining Zubat before it exploded with a massive boom. Multiple burnt and semi-burnt Zubat were sent flying from within and around where the explosion was, unconscious before they hit the ground.

Fearful, the remaining Zubat quickly turned tail and flew back into the tunnel they had just come out from.

Once Anabel couldn't sense them anymore, she recalled Abra back to his Poké Ball for a well-deserved rest before she turned to Ash. Eevee had just jumped back onto his right shoulder while he kneeled to pick up Clefairy.

"I didn't have time to call out Pidgey or Rattata, Eevee isn't that good at fighting Flying Pokémon yet, and Clefairy isn't ready to fight." Ash said, answering Anabel's unspoken question. "I thought about it for a minute and realized I could have Eevee use Helping-Hand give Abra a boost."

"Thanks Ash." Anabel said.

Ash smiled.

XXXXXX

"So… why do you think those Zubat attacked us?" Ash asked as he and Anabel made walked through an unusually-lit tunnel. He frowned. "I thought that Zubat were nocturnal."

Anabel nodded, "Zubat are nocturnal. I think they attacked us because something is making them upset…" She bit her lip, thinking. "They probably haven't gotten any sleep sense whoever put those lights up put them up. Because Zubat rely on their hearing, they probably attacked us because we sounded like the ones that had set them up."

"Can't we do something about them, then? I mean, if these lights made those Zubat angry, wouldn't it be best if we take them down?" Ash asked.

Anabel stopped in her tracks, a thoughtful expression coming to her face. "You're right Ash. And the Zubat probably aren't the only nocturnal Pokémon in these tunnels. But how would we…" She bit her lip for a moment until her eyes widened. "Abra!"

Ash looked at Anabel for a moment, confused. Anabel appeared to not have noticed the look or to have ignored it, instead reaching for Abra's Poké Ball.

"Come on out, my friend."

There was a brief flash of light as Abra materialized before he looked around himself and then towards Anabel. "Abra Ra Abra?"

"I need you to teleport the lights hanging on the walls, my friend." Ash's eyes widened in understanding: he could see Anabel's plan now. "The lights are upsetting the nocturnal Pokémon that live in these tunnels."

Abra nodded before he vanished in a flash of yellow light. He then reappeared on the nearby wall—directly above the lights—before he placed both hands on the string of lights. It was only a few seconds later that the lights themselves vanished, teleported who-knows how far away by Abra's ability.

The tunnels were instantly plunged into darkness.

"Fairy! Clefairy Cle-Fairy Cle?" Clefairy called out as she struggled within Ash's grasp, completely terrified. "Clefairy!"

"It's okay, Clefairy… Calm down. I'm here. It's okay." Ash soothed.

Clefairy whimpered, "Fairy…"

A beam of light suddenly pierced through the inky black darkness. Looking at it with squinted eyes, Ash soon realized that it was a flashlight. Holding onto the flashlight was Anabel, who had an apologetic expression on her face.

"I'm sorry… I should have warned you before I had Abra teleport the lights away. That was really inconsiderate of me."

"Abra." Abra murmured sleepily.

Clefairy sniffled in Ash's arms, slightly calmer now that she could at least see him. Ash looked down at Clefairy and shushed her, bringing her closer to his chest, before turning to Anabel. His eyes weren't cold but, they held a warning; to not do something like that again without telling him.

"I wish you had told us too because we needed those lights!"

Ash's eyes widened even as Anabel quickly turned around and pointed at the owner of the voice just behind her. The flashlight's light exposed three familiar forms, casting eerie shadows on their all-to familiar forms.

It was those two people from Team Rocket that had attacked the Pokémon Center back in Viridian City: Jessie, James, and that weird Meowth of theirs.

Anabel frowned angrily, "You were the ones that set up those lights? Why would you do that?"

Jessie rolled her eyes with a scoff, crossing her arms. However, before she or her two 'friends' could answer the brat's question, someone else did.

"Those guys are from Team Rocket! I encountered them back in Viridian City when they tried to rob the Pokémon Center." Ash informed with a grim expression. "They're nothing but a group of criminals that want to steal Pokémon from their Trainers!"

Eevee growled, her ears flattening against her head.

"You make what we do seem bad." James said.

Ash's hands clenched into fists, "That's because it is! You have no right to steal Pokémon!"

"The time for talking is over! James, let's show these brats why they should respect Team Rocket." Jessie snapped as she pulled out her Ekans' Poké Ball.

James pulled out Koffing's Poké Ball, "But of course." Smirking, he threw Koffing's Poké Ball into the air. "It's time to battle, Koffing!"

Eevee quickly jumped to the ground as the two familiar, and hated, forms of Ekans and Koffing materialized in a flash of white light. Abra teleported in front of Anabel, his former sleepiness gone, and glared. Clefairy whimpered.

"You think that you can actually beat us?" Jessie scoffed incredulously. "You brats will barely even be a challenge!"

"We'll see." Anabel said.

Ash nodded, "Besides, we've gotten way stronger since the last time we met!"

Eevee growled, "Ve."

Without warning, Ekans suddenly lunged forward and struck out towards Abra. Ekans was momentarily surprised, however, when Abra simply teleported out of the way and Anabel sidestepped. Ekans crashed against the wall.

It was only seconds later that Abra appeared behind the temporarily stunned Pokémon. In front of crossed arms was another, completed sphere of psychic energy.

Jessie's eyes widened in slight alarm, "Get out of there, Ekans!"

"Ab—" Ekans' head snapped around towards Abra, who then proceeded to launch his attack with a, "—RA!"

Ekans quickly twisted out of the way of the attack, which hit the wall behind him and exploded not a second later. The tunnel wall shook as a fair amount of dust and earthen debris was sent flying in all directions.

Unharmed, Ekans quickly twisted around before he lunged towards Abra. He reached Abra before the other Pokémon could teleport and then begun an onslaught of offensive maneuvers.

While this was happening, Eevee jumped back and avoided another tackle from Koffing. While he turned around, Eevee took the opportunity to jump onto Koffing. There, she began to angrily beat her tail against Koffing's head, giving it a massive headache.

"Selfdestruct!" James ordered.

Hearing this, Koffing closed his eyes before his body began to glow.

"Jump into the air!" Ash shouted.

Eevee jumped into the air just as Koffing finally exploded. While she remained relatively unharmed by the explosion, it did manage to hurt Eevee's legs and singe the fur on them. So, when Eevee landed, it was with a wince of discomfort.

"Clefairy! Clefairy Cle Fairy!" Clefairy began to cry, frightened by the explosion and upset that Eevee had gotten hurt. "Clefairy! Cle-Fairy Fairy!"

Ash gave Clefairy a reassuring squeeze before he returned his attention to the battle. Somehow, Koffing had recovered from what should have knocked it unconscious, and was now releasing a thick, black smog.

He also noticed that, on Anabel's side of the battlefield, it appeared as Abra was going to be defeated by Ekans. Abra just didn't have enough time to teleport away from Ekans, who was unleashing a rapid series of attacks that were quickly weakening it.

"Jump to the left and then Teleport!" Anabel ordered. "Follow it up with a Confusion!"

Ash suddenly had an idea. He quickly ordered Eevee to use Helping-Hand on Abra—ignoring Team Rocket's jeers—just before Abra reappeared.  
Eevee's Helping-Hand consumed Abra as Abra's eyes began to glow a sickeningly blood-red color. It was only milliseconds later that Ekans' massive, open jaw erupted out from Koffing's smog, threatening to consume Abra whole.

* * *

Ash's Pokémon Team:

Eevee (Female): Level 14.

Attacks: Growl (Normal), Helping Hand (Normal), Sand-Attack (Normal), Scratch (Normal) Tackle (Normal), Tail Whip (Normal).

Pidgey (Male): Level 11.

Attacks: Sand-Attack (Ground), Tackle (Normal), Gust (Flying), and Quick Attack (Normal).

Rattata (Male): Level 12.

Attacks: Tackle (Normal), Tail Whip (Normal), Quick Attack (Normal), and Bite (Dark).

Kakuna (Male): Level 12.

Attacks: String-Shot (Bug), Poison-Sting (Poison), Bug-Bite (Bug), and Harden (Normal).

Clefairy (Female): Level 7.

Attacks: Pound (Normal) and Sing (Normal).

Anabel's Pokémon Team:

Abra (Male): Level 15.

Attacks: Teleport (Psychic), Psyshock (Psychic), and Confusion (Psychic).

Ben's Pokémon Team:

Ekans (Female): Level 10.

Attacks: Wrap (Normal), Leer (Normal), Poison Sting (Poison), and Bite (Dark).

Rattata (Male): Level 14.

Attacks: Quick-Attack (Normal), Tackle (Normal), Tail Whip (Normal), and Bite (Dark).

Jessie's Pokémon Team:

Ekans (Male): Level 20.

Attacks: Wrap (Normal), Leer (Normal), and Poison Sting (Poison).

James' Pokémon Team:

Koffing (Male): Level 20.

Attacks: Tackle (Normal), Smog (Poison), and Selfdestruct (Normal).

* * *

**A/N: Author's Note: **This chapter was updated 06/06/2012.


	11. Chapter 11:

Disclaimer: I do not, nor have I ever, owned anything related to Nintendo's _Pokémon_ franchise.

* * *

Legend:

"A human or a Pokémon is talking."

'_A human or a Pokémon is thinking.'_

"**A machine is being used."**

* * *

Chapter 11:

* * *

(Kanto—Mt. Moon—Tunnel)

Ash suddenly had an idea. He quickly ordered Eevee to use Helping-Hand on Abra—ignoring Team Rocket's jeers—just before Abra reappeared.  
Eevee's Helping-Hand consumed Abra as Abra's eyes began to glow a sickeningly blood-red color. It was only milliseconds later that Ekans' massive, open jaw erupted out from Koffing's smog, threatening to consume Abra whole.

Time seemed to slow down for Abra. He couldn't hear his Pokémon Trainer shouting for him to dodge nor the Helping-Hand that Eevee was sending him. All he could hear was the sound of his own heartbeat. All he could see was Ekan's massive, gaping maw rushing towards him.

"Ab Ab—" Abra shouted, closing his hand. "—RA!"

Ekans froze as, not a second later, its entire body was consumed with blood-red energy. He glared fearsomely at Abra as his mouth was forcefully shut, struggling to broke Abra's control over its body. He could have succeeded if not for Eevee's Helping Hand.

As soon as the Helping Hand hit Abra, the red glow around his eyes brightened significantly and his hold on Ekans' body became that much stronger. He had been struggling to control Ekans but now it only took a little bit of effort to do so.

Jessie was furious, "You little—! I'll make you pay for that."  
Anabel frowned. Then, having sensed Koffing's emotions, she had Abra dodge. She was correct in doing so as Koffing emerged a few milliseconds after Abra had Teleported away. Koffing looked around in confusion before Eevee jumped out of the smog and attempt to intercept it

"Not so fast, little foxy." Meowth stated as he jumped out of the smog and used his right leg to kick Eevee back. Landing in a crouch, he then extended his claws. "Meowth is gonna play wit ya!"

Eevee crashed against the right wall of the tunnel, letting out a brief exclamation of pain. She barely got up in time to see Meowth running towards her, his eyes shining eerily in the dark.

"Tackle!"

Meowth never got the chance to question what the twerp was thinking—that little fox was in no position to Tackle him—before he was hit in the side by a small, purple Pokémon. He yowled as he was sent tumbling backwards, kicking up a small amount of dust as he flew.

Rattata chittered proudly as he came to stand before Eevee, who looked at him in thanks. Then, when Meowth had gotten back to his feet, Rattata waved his curly tail to taunt the other Pokémon.

"I'll make ya pay for that ya _little_ _rat!_" Meowth hissed as he ran towards Rattata, fury dancing in his eyes as his claws extended once more.

Rattata then waited for a few moments before he kicked off into the air and summersaulted over Meowth. As he landed, Rattata then lunged forward and used Bite to grab on of Meowth's paws, causing the other Pokémon to yowl in pain.

"Get off me ya rat! _Get off!_" Meowth shouted.

In Meowth's distracted state, he never noticed Eevee had recovered and was now running towards him at a rapid speed. Eevee Tackled him a few feet backwards before she used Tail Whip to hit Meowth in the face.

Meowth hissed before he swung his Rattata-covered paw at Eevee and sent the 'little foxy' back a few steps. He then tried to bash Rattata's face into the ground, only for Rattata to jump off as Eevee rushed back towards him.

While this was happening, Koffing was experiencing its own bit of trouble. He was trying to follow his master's orders—to damage the Abra—but nothing he was doing was working. To make it worse, two other Pokémon had entered the fray and were now blocking him from the Abra.

He had to keep dodging to the side to avoid the Pidgey as it flew towards him and the sticky ropes of the Kakuna. To say that he was mostly on the defensive would be correct, as he had no time to attack at the moment.

James clenched his teeth, "Use Smokescreen."

"Kakuna, String-Shot! Pidgey, use Quick-Attack!" Ash ordered as Koffing began to release a thick, black smog from its mouth. "Fly left… Good! Now, hit Koffing with a Tackle!"

Pidgey dived towards Koffing, his claws extended, and followed Koffing as it fled backwards with smoke trailing from its mouth. In his haste, Koffing never realized that he wasn't paying attention to the Kakuna.

In the next second, three ropes of sticky white material lunged from the smog-covered floor and wrapped around Koffing's body. With a tug, Koffing was pulled towards the darkened floor, where Kakuna was hiding.

Koffing struggled in an attempt to escape from his bindings, but it proved difficult as he had no easy way to tear it off him. He did, however, manage to loosen the bindings enough to start wriggling out of them before Pidgey hit him with a Tackle.

Breaking free of the String-Shot, Koffing was sent rocketing backwards into a nearby wall. Crashing into it, a small cloud of dust was created on impact. When Koffing rolled to the bottom of the wall, it was obvious that he was unconscious.

As this happened, Ekans was being thrown back towards Jessie with swirls in its eyes. Abra had used his hold over it to slam it into the ground until it was unconscious, leaving it with numerous, multi-colored bruises all over its body.

His job done, Abra then Teleported back to Anabel as the red glow faded from his eyes. Anabel spared him a brief smile.

Meowth rushed past Anabel not a second later, holding his sides. It was obvious that he had a hard time against his own opponents as, like Ekans, there were a lot of bruises visible under his short white fur. He also had a few bite marks scattered all over his body, courtesy of Rattata.

Jessie—seeing that they had lost—glared at Ash and Anabel. "… You may have won this time, brats but…" An almost-eager gleam appeared in her eyes. "We'll be back…"

"Buh bye." James mocked, waving.

With that, both Jessie and James threw smoke-bombs onto the ground. This added to Koffing's dissipating smoke, cloaking Team Rocket as they recalled their Pokémon and fled. When all of the smoke had cleared, it revealed that Team Rocket had gotten away.

"Damn it!" Ash cursed with an angry frown. "They got away… _again!_"

Eevee growled, "Ve Eevee Ve Eve-Ve."

"… At least we managed to beat them and drive them away…" Anabel said. "That's good, right?"

"… I guess…" Ash muttered.

XXXXXX

(Later—With Ash and Anabel)

Soon after Team Rocket had fled, Ash and Anabel recalled their Pokémon back to their Poké Balls before they set off down the tunnel. While both of them were still a bit upset that Team Rocket had gotten away—and curious as to what Teak Rocket was doing there—there was nothing more that either of them could do at this point.

With this realization, Ash slowly got out of his funk before he engaged Anabel in conversation. That quickly changed into a debate over which Pokémon Type they thought was best. Anabel would list reason after reason of why Psychic-type Pokemon were superior, firmly defending why Ash pointed out faults in her arguments.

"It doesn't matter if Psychic-Type Pokémon are weak against Bug- Dark-, or Ghost-Type Pokémon; if the Trainer is good enough, they'll be able to overcome those weaknesses."

Ash was about to respond but, before he could, he was interrupted by a loud cough. Slightly annoyed, he and Anabel turned to see a brown-haired boy standing in front of them. He was wearing a blue shirt, black jeans, and had a black backpack on his back.

"Could—"

"No." Anabel said.

"But—" The boy began.

Ash frowned, "Get lost!"

"All I want to do is—"

"I don't care!" Ash and Anabel interrupted in almost-perfect unison. "We were in the middle of an important conversation!"

The boy ran away from them not a second later, screaming. This caused both Pokémon Trainers to pause for a moment before they turned to each other. Ash was the first one to crack a grin before he began laughing about what had just happened. It seemed that his good mood was infectious as Anabel started to laugh a few seconds later.

Clefairy looked concerned, "... Fairy?"

"Eevee Ve, Eve Ee-V-Ee Eevee. Eve Ve Eevee." Eevee assured the smaller Pokémon.

Sometime after Ash and Anabel had finally stopped laughing, they began to feel guilty over what they had done. It wasn't right for them to have yelled at that kid becuase he had interuptted their conversation. Especially since they had caused him to run away from them, screaming his little head off. With that in mind, each Trainer promised themselves that they would apologize to the boy if they came across him again.

Five minutes later, Ash drew Anabel into another conversation. During this, he asked the other Trainer about her family, where she had come from, her likes, her dislikes, and her dreams for the future. He learned that Anabel liked to paint, listen to classical music, and Psychic-Type Pokémon. She seemed to dislike Pokémon poachers, thieves, and Ghost-Type Pokémon. And her dream was to open another Psychic-Type Pokémon Gym in Kanto someday.

In return, Anabel asked him the same questions. She learned that Ash really liked Pokémon Battling, drawing, and hanging around with his friends and Pokémon. He disliked thieves like Team Rocket, Pokémon abusers, and all vegetables in general. His dream for the future was to become the greatest Pokémon Master in the world; certainly one of the most, if not the most, ambitious dreams she had ever heard.

"Another Psychic-Type Gym in Kanto?" Ash asked teasingly. "And you say that I'm ambitous."

Anabel raised an eyebrow, "What about you? Your dream is far more ambitious than mine is! I mean, you want to be the 'Greatest Pokémon Master in the world'!" She retorted. "Opening a Gym is a piece of cake compared to that."

"I know it'll be hard but..." Ash grinned. "that'll just make getting to the top that much sweeter."

Anabel paused mid-step, taken back slightly. When he had originally talked about his dream to become the 'Greatest Pokémon Master', she had sensed his anticipation and drive but this was the first time she had felt so much conviction. There was so much of it that it actually made Anabel, despite not having known Ash for that long, actually think he could do it. He would have to train very, very hard but, if he kept that level of conviction, he could actually do it.

"Could you move the flashlight, Anabel?" Ash asked, snapping Anabel out of her thoughts. "I think I just saw something move..."

Anabel nodded. Moving the flahlight around, she looked for what Ash could've seen until she found something; a group of Pokémon hiding in the shadows. The Pokémon in question were red, crab-like creatures with six legs, two pincers, small and round blue eyes, and a small mouth. The only other thing of note were the red mushrooms with yellow polka dots and white stems that were growing on these Pokémon's back.

Following this discovery, Anabel heard Ash rummaging for something before she heard a 'click' as something flipped open. Confused, she was then scared out of her wits when a loud mechanical voice spoke out from behind her. **"Paras: The Mushroom Pokémon. In the wild, Paras grow by sucking nutrients from the roots of trees. The mushrooms on a Paras' back are called tochukaso and grow as the Paras grows."**

_'It was just Ash's PokéDex...'_ Anabel assured herself. A bit angry, she turned on Ash. "Could you please give me some warning before you do that? You almost gave me a heart attack!"

Ash looked down, guilty, "I'm sorry, Anabel..."

"Please just don't do it again, okay?"

"I'll try not to." Ash agreed before her turned his head towards Eevee, "C'mon, Eevee. We've got a Paras to catch."

Eevee yipped before she sprung off of Ash's shoulders, landing on the ground only a few seconds later. She quickly took off in pursuit of the group of Paras, who had looked up when Anabel's light had shone on them. While they couldn't really see Eevee because of the light that shined directly behind her, they could see her outline and hear her as she approuched. Those that had not already fled from the light retreated, not wanting any trouble.

"Ras."

"Paras."

"Pa-pa ras."

"Pas."

"Eevee, use your Tail Whip!"

Eevee nodded before she came to a stop, blocking two Paras' escape routes with her body. Before either of the two Paras could react, however, Eevee quickly turned around and hit one of them with her bushy tail. The force sent the Paras tumbling back a few feet and back into the dark though, instead of taking the chance to flee, this Paras got angry. The Paras' crouched down, opened its mouth, and released a thick purple powder from its mouth.

"That's Poisonpowder!" Anabel said in recognition. "Be careful! If Eevee breaths any of that powder in, she'll be poisoned!" She frowned. "From the density of that cloud, it wouldn't take long for Eevee to go unconsicous!"

Ash nodded, "Thanks Anabel! Eevee, jump over that Poisonpowder! Then use a Tackle to knock it back!"

Eevee yipped in acknowledgment of her orders before she kicked off into the air and jumped over the poisonpowder. She then started to run towards Paras, who released another poisonpowder towards her in retaliation. This was followed by another cloud of powder, though this cloud was yellow as opposed to the purple of the first cloud. Eevee managed to jump over the poisonpowder but landed in the yellow cloud.

"Hurry up and finish this before that Stun Spore can paralyze Eevee!" Anabel warned.

"Thanks for the head's up again, Anabel!" Ash said before he turned back to the battle, "Use your Tackle attack!"

While Eevee's body already appeared to be going a bit stiff, Eevee forced herself forward and ran towards Paras. This semeed to suprirse Paras, as it thought that its attack would've been able to halt Eevee's movements, as it didn't even attempt to dodge. The force behind the blow sent Paras crashing into a nearby wall. However, instead of staying down, Paras soon got back up on its feet, though Eevee's attack had taken the wind out of its sails.

"Paras ras Pa-ras!" Paras clicked out before it opened its mouth and released a thick white powder towards Eevee.

Moving over to the side, Eevee managed to avoid the attack. Then, as Paras closed its mouth and prepared itself for another dose, Eevee rushed towards it. Once she got to the other Pokémon, Eevee began to scratch it rapidly, slowing with each strike as Paras' Stun Spore took effect.

"Alright Eevee, that's enough!" Ash said as before he pointed Eevee's Poké Ball at her. "Return!" He used his unoccupied arm to clip Eevee's Poké Ball to his belt before he removed another Poké Ball from his belt. "Go, Poké Ball!"

When the Poké Ball struck, it converted Paras into red energy before it absorbed it into itself while in mid-air. The Poké Ball then fell to the ground, shaking, as Paras fought against it. The Poké Ball continued to rock, three times a second, for six seconds before it finally glowed red. A faint 'ding' was heard .

Ash quickly walked over to the fallen Pokeball, grabbed it with his unoccupied hand, before he thrusted it into the air. "Yes! I've caught a Paras!"

"Congratulations."

XXXXXX

(Kanto—Route 4—Near Mt. Moon)

"You mean to tell me that a couple of _brats_ managed to drive you off? One of which was partially responsible for your _failure_ in Viridian City?"

Jessie flinched, sweating, before she exchanged a look with James. He made a shooing motion, causing her to scowl, before she turned back to the screen of the cellular phone she held. Her boss was thrumming his fingers on his desk, an expectant expression on his face as he waited for her answer.

"Yes, sir." Jessie murmured.

"Get your heads together!" The man shouted, his eyes narrowed into slits. "… If you two don't bring me the Moon Stone within two weeks, I will have you both terminated. Meowth will be reassigned as a 'graduation present' for the most abusive of my new Rockets."

Jessie, James, and Meowth all gulped. "W-We'll get it to you right away, sir!"

"You better; your very lives depend on it." The brown-haired man replied.

With that said, the leader of Team Rocket ended his call. He had already given those three clowns a second chance, after that incident at the Viridian Pokemon Center, but if they didn't accomplish this they would die. If he had to, he would kill them himself.

* * *

Ash's Pokémon Team:

Eevee (Female): Level 14.

Attacks: Growl (Normal), Helping Hand (Normal), Sand-Attack (Normal), Scratch (Normal) Tackle (Normal), Tail Whip (Normal).

Pidgey (Male): Level 11.

Attacks: Sand-Attack (Ground), Tackle (Normal), Gust (Flying), and Quick Attack (Normal).

Rattata (Male): Level 12.

Attacks: Tackle (Normal), Tail Whip (Normal), Quick Attack (Normal), and Bite (Dark).

Kakuna (Male): Level 12.

Attacks: String-Shot (Bug), Poison-Sting (Poison), Bug-Bite (Bug), and Harden (Normal).

Clefairy (Female): Level 7.

Attacks: Pound (Normal) and Sing (Normal).

Paras (?):

Attacks: Poisonpowder (Poison), Stun Spore (Grass), and Sleep Powder (Grass).

Anabel's Pokémon Team:

Abra (Male): Level 15.

Attacks: Teleport (Psychic), Psyshock (Psychic), and Confusion (Psychic).

Jessie's Pokémon Team:

Ekans (Male): Level 20.

Attacks: Wrap (Normal), Leer (Normal), and Poison Sting (Poison).

James' Pokémon Team:

Koffing (Male): Level 20.

Attacks: Tackle (Normal), Smog (Poison), and Selfdestruct (Normal).

* * *

**A/N: Author's Note: **Well, tell me what you guys think! Comments, concerns, and constructive criticism. This chapter was edited as of 6/20/2012.


	12. Chapter 12:

Disclaimer: I do not, nor have I ever, owned anything related to Nintendo's _Pokémon_ franchise.

* * *

Legend:

"A human or a Pokémon is talking."

'_A human or a Pokémon is thinking.'_

"**A machine is being used."**

* * *

Chapter 12:

* * *

(Kanto—Route Four—Near Mt. Moon)

After Giovanni had ended the call, Jessie, James, and Meowth knew that they absolutely had to get their hands on the Moon Stone. They all knew that, if they didn't get that stone, then it would be their lives on the line. If they failed, they wouldn't be coming back.

There was a brief moment of silence before Jessie took charge. She told Meowth to go back to Mt. Moon to ask and threaten the local Pokémon about the location of the Moon Stone. He had agreed without protest, a rarity for him, before he set off towards Mt. Moon.

"What do you want me to do, Jess?"

Jessie looked at her partner for a moment, a thoughtful expression on her face. What did she want James to do? What was there she could have him do now, considering the circumstances?

The memory of their battle with those two twerps in the tunnels of Mt. Moon flashed behind Jessie's eyes, causing a viscous scowl to form on her face. Even with all of their Pokémon's experience and obvious strength in battle, they had been bested by sheer numbers.

Meowth had been taken out of the fight after two of the twerp's Pokémon had ganged up on him. Ekans had been captured after a battle with that female twerp's Abra, and Koffing had been knocked out by two more of the twerp's Pokémon. That could not be tolerated; they were Team Rocket and they could not be defeated by grass-green Pokémon Trainers.

"We will both go out to capture some Pokémon for the mission." Jessie answered, scowl still present on her face. "Ekans and Koffing were defeated because those twerps had more Pokémon then we did, and overwhelmed us with their numbers. If… No, _when_ we face them again, we need to have a team powerful enough to crush them!"

"We'll show them that they only won based on luck… and make them realize the true power that Team Rocket possesses." James stated.

Jessie nodded. A few moments passed in silence before both Rockets sprang into action, separating as they ran in completely different directions. As each of them knew where their temporary headquarters was, they would meet up there after they had caught, or stolen, some Pokémon for their future heist.

XXXXXX

(Meanwhile—With Ash and Anabel)

After the initial excitement over catching his fifth Pokémon had worn off, Anabel had begun to lead Ash deeper into Mt. Moon's tunnels. It had only been Anabel's prior knowledge of the tunnels and her flashlight that kept them from getting lost. Along the way, they had seen numerous Pokémon; Zubat sleeping on the ceilings, some Paras and Sandshrew crawling on the ground, and a few Geodude here and there.

At the moment, the two Pokémon Trainers were sitting on the shore of a lake that they had spotted when passing over it on a rock-bridge. They had both decided to climb down the somewhat steep slope at the end of the bridge to get to the lake so that they could refill their empty canteens. However, once they got to the bottom, they had realized how hungry they actually were.

Soon afterwards, Ash had offered to go looking for some firewood, which Anabel had accepted. After leaving Clefairy with Anabel—and assuring a teary-eyed Clefairy he would be back soon—had then climbed back up the slope and over the rock bridge before he walked over to the copse of trees he had spotted near the entrance to the tunnel they had came out of. Once there, he managed to break off enough branches for some firewood before he began heading back.

After they had started a small fire, the two Pokémon Trainers pulled off their backpacks, rummaged through them, and began pulling out some stuff for dinner. It took them a couple of minutes to get everything out—mainly the bowls of PokéChow for their Pokémon—before they were done.

"Let's call everyone out, then."

Ash nodded before he and Anabel reached for their belts and retrieved their Pokémon's Poké Balls before they threw them into the air, "C'mon out guys; its dinner time!"

In the next moment, both Trainers were temporarily blinded by six flashes of white light as their Pokémon materialized. Said Pokémon looked around in confusion before they spotted their food bowls and, stomachs grumbling, wandered over.

However, instead of heading over like the others, Paras didn't. This was because his new Trainer had called him over to him before he began to rummage through that strange thing he had on his back when Paras first saw him. "Paras?"

Ash ignored Paras' question or seemed to not have heard it, busy looking in his backpack for something. Some time passed before Ash spotted what he was looking for and, with a triumphant 'Aha!', he pulled the items out. The items were revealed to be his bottles of Potion that he had bought at the PokéMart. Uncapping it, he then turned around and called Paras over.

Once Paras had obeyed, Ash began to spray Paras' body with a Potion wherever his newest Pokémon looked hurt. The Potion caused Paras' bruises to slowly fade away while the cuts and scratches on Paras' body steamed slightly before they vanished. While he didn't see any more wounds, Ash checked Paras over a couple of more times before he sent Paras off to eat.

Then, capping the half-empty bottle of Potion, Ash returned that and his unopened bottle back into his backpack. When he was done with that, he turned around, only to be surprised to see Paras in the exact same position that it was in before. Why hadn't Paras gotten off to eat like he had told it to?

"Paras Ras Pa-ras?" Paras questioned.

Understanding dawned on Ash, "... I just couldn't leave you like that, Paras. Not when I could do something to help you..." He made a shoo-ing motion, "Now go eat your food! You don't want one of the others to eat it, do you?"

While still confused, Paras obeyed his Trainer before he scuttled over to what he assumed was his 'bowl'. He had to fight off his Trainer's Rattata for it though, as it appeared that Rattata had finished its bowl and was still a bit hungry. After a brief scuffle, he managed to drive Rattata away and, victorious, took a bite of his food. Liking the taste of it, he began to dig into the meal with gusto.

As this was happening, Ash had moved over to see how Clefairy was doing. While Clefairy had eaten some of the slurry, it was obvious that Clefairy wasn't going to be eating much more. This was proven true when she stopped eating a minute later, shakily picked up her bowl, and walked over to him.

"Fairy, Cle-fairy Fairy... Clefairy Fairy Fairy..."

Taking the bowl from his Pokémon's hands, Ash held back a frown. He wasn't really upset with Clefairy. No, he was upset at Damien Flatts, Clefairy's former Trainer. The mere thought of him make Ash's eyes narrow in anger; how could _anyone_ abuse their Pokémon? That was just plain _wrong_

However, while he was angry at Damien, he couldn't allow his anger to show through. That would only scare Clefairy after all she had been through. So, pulling open the lid to 'Clefairy's Slurry', he poured the remains of Clefairy's meal back inside. He then took out a spare rag from his backpack and began to clean it. Cleaning the bowl only took a minute or two and, after he was done, he stored it back in his backpack.

Seeing that her Trainer was free, Clefairy quickly walked over to Ash and began nuzzling his arms with her head. Ash looked down at her for a moment before he wrapped he moved one of his arms and began to pet her fur. Clefairy purred.

Distracted as he was with Clefairy, Ash didn't notice when Anabel and the other Pokémon finish with their meals. This led to him almost given a heart attack when Eevee—the Stun Spore having worn off when she was in her Poké Ball—seemingly Tackled him as she tried to jump onto his shoulder. Wide-eyed and spluttering, he toppled over to the side, bringing Clefairy and Eevee with him.

In their impromptu dog pile, Eevee looked up at her Trainer questioningly. "Ve?"

Ash shook his head in response. As he and the others were getting up, he heard someone laughing. He looked up to see Anabel sitting down some distance away, laughing at him. Upon closer inspection revealed that even her Abra was laughing at him!

"Don't laugh at me!" Ash demanded. It didn't help his case when Anabel noticed the red on his cheeks and began to laugh anew. He scowled, "STOP LAUGHING!"

Anabel clutched her stomach, "The look... on your face... was priceless!"

"Ab-ra Ab-ra Ab-ra!" Abra chuckled alongside his Trainer.

Ash's eyes narrowed. So, Anabel and Abra didn't want to listen to him, eh? Well he could certainly fix that. She may be a good Pokémon Trainer but she would soon learn that he had numbers on his side. With an order to 'seize' Abra, Ash rushed forward with a devious glint in his eyes.

While this was happening, Eevee took charge and led the 'attack' on Abra. As she rushed forward, she was flanked by Rattata on the right Pidgey on the left. On the ground behind Pidgey scuttled Paras, who was keeping pace with a hesitant Clefairy.

Anabel opened her eyes just in time to see a black blur before something crashed into her body, knocked her down, and forced the breath out of her lungs. When she recovered, she looked up, only to see Ash sitting on top of her chest. "I warned you! Now, take _this_!"

With that, Ash's fingers descended towards her and quickly discovered all of the places where she was especially ticklish. She had struggled against her 'captor' for a while but she couldn't budge him. He was simply too strong for her. She laughed.

XXXXXX

(Route 4—With Jessie, James, and Meowth)

"Are you sure Meowth?"

After hearing this question, Meowth turned away from Jessie and glared at James as his claws extended. How _dare_ James suggest that he had the wrong information he had spent the last several hours getting? Did James actually think that he would come back without the correct information? Did the man think him that stupid or _incompetent_?

"Of course I'm sure! I tracked down one of those Clefairy and followed it around through the blasted mountain and found where they are keeping the stone! " Meowth hissed. "Why else do ya think I would tell ya and Jessie, huh?" His eyes flashed dangerously. "Do you think I'm about to risk my life on false information?"

James backed up from Meowth, gloved palms in the air to ward off the angry feline. He had no intent to anger Meowth; he only wanted to make sure if Meowth had the right information. He had not, however, expected Meowth to lash out at him for such a question. "I'm sorry, Meowth... I was just making sure that—"

Meowth huffed.

"Stop acting like a couple of children!" Jessie snapped, scowling as she looked at her two teammates. "We don't have time for any childish nonsense. Or do you not remember that, if we don't complete this mission, it'll be our _lives_ on the line?" She paused for a moment to reign in her anger before she reopened her eyes. She then turned to Meowth. "Good work. You'll be able to lead us to the Moon Stone, correct?"

Meowth grumbled a bit but nodded, confirming that he could lead them to the Moon Stone now. Not waiting to be ordered to do so, he began walking out of his team's temporary headquarters and into the woods. Besides for the sounds of the nocturnal Pokémon as they went about their ways, everything was quiet.

After trudging through the woods for a bit, the three Rockets came across a formerly-unknown cave into that Meowth led them into. The two Human members of the group had to pull out flashlights as everything around them went dark, making it hard to see clearly. With their flashlights, they kept pace behind Meowth as he led them down a number of tunnels and inner chambers before they exited Mt. Moon altogether.

The group then marched up a somewhat large, steep hill before he came to rest 20 feet away from another cave entrance. In an instant, Jessie and James realized this was the cave that held their target and glanced at each other briefly. They put away their flashlights before, following Meowth, they crept into the shadowed entrance of the cave, making sure to remain unseen. There, the three Rockets saw their target.

The Moon Stone was a massive boulder-like stone that was sitting on a raised platform in the middle of the room. A ring of smaller moon stones surrounded the Moon Stone's base, each glowing a faint silvery hue in the moonlight. Looking closer, the three Rockets could see that the Moon Stone itself was giving off a silvery sheen.

In the cave alongside the Moon Stone were three types of Pokémon that Team Rocket were vaguely familiar with. These three Pokémon were Cleffa, Clefairy, and Clefable; Pokémon that seemed to worship the Moon Stone.

Cleffa were small pink-colored Pokémon that were vaguely star-shaped in appearance. In all actuality, they looked like their evolved form, Clefairy, with their small bodies and brown-colored ears. These Pokémon also possessed a small curl on their foreheads and small tails; however, they did not possess the small wings their evolved forms did.

Clefairy were the evolved form of Cleffa, and possessed much of the same features. They had stocky limbs and round bodies, making each of them look a bit chubby. These Pokémon also had large, brown-colored ears that were sensitive to sound and a pair of small, pink wings on their backs.

Clefable were the evolved form of Clefairy, and were a bit larger than their pre-evolutions. Their wings had grown larger, and had darkened considerably, though they still seemed incapable of flight. The paws on a Clefable lacked the nails that they had as a Clefairy, but they had gained an extra clawed toe on each of their feet in exchange for that.

At the moment, Clefairy and younger Clefable were dancing around the Moon Stone while older Clefable simply watched. The Cleffa stood or sat behind what Team Rocket assumed to be their parents with some peeking beyond to see just what was going on.

Jessie turned, "I think it's time to test out our new Pokémon."

James smirked alongside Jessie before a faint 'I do' escaped his lips. All three of them then backed away from the entrance of the cave before they retrieved a Poké Ball from their belts while Meowth simply extended his claws. There was a brief silence before Meowth snapped, "Let's just get on with this already!"

Tossing their Poké Balls into the air, the three Rockets then watched as two Pokémon materialized in two identical flashes of white light. When this light faded, it revealed Jessie and James' new Pokémon in all of their glory.

Jessie's new Pokémon was a Jigglypuff. Like the others of its kind, she appeared to be a round, pink ball with small, cat-like ears and very large eyes. She also had rubbery, balloon-like skin. She had small arms, but rather large feet and no tail. She also appeared to have a hair-like curl on her head.

Jigglypuff looked around before she took a deep breath, her cheeks puffing up. "Puff!"

James' new Pokémon was a Mankey. He was a tailed, bipedal Pokémon with a round body covered in whitish, messy fur. Mankey's ears were triangular with brown insides, and his arms, two-toed feet, and his curved tail was tipped with brown coloration. Mankey also had a nose similar to a pig's snout.

"Mankey man-key!" Mankey chittered.

"Alright." Jessie said, drawing everyone's attention to her, before she continued. "We are going to begin this operation, so be ready." When they nodded, she turned to Jigglypuff, "You know what to do, Jigglypuff. Sing!"

Jigglypuff nodded before she opened her mouth and closed her eyes. Infusing her voice with her own energy, Clefairy then began to sing. This caused numerous multicolored, three-dimensional musical notes to fly out of her mouth before they travelled towards the inside of the cave.

When these musical notes entered the cave itself, they began to release a soothing melody that lulled the Pokémon near them into a drowsy state. All of the Cleffa within the cave fell asleep while most of the Clefairy fell asleep or became drowsy. The remainder of those awake looked around in slight confusion, confusedly wondering what had just happened.

Seeing this, James gave a final rub to Mankey's head. Mankey preened under the touch for a couple of moments before his Trainer took it away, causing him to look up. "It's time for your part, Mankey." His Trainer said. "Do your best."

Mankey nodded before he launched himself out of the shadows, followed shortly by Jigglypuff. The remainder of the Clefable and Clefairy never noticed Jigglypuff as Mankey attacked a rather young Clefable, screeching all the while to draw their attention to them.

"Fable!"

"Clefable Fable!"

"Fable Cle!"

Mankey back flipped off the Clefable he had attacked and landed softly before he crouched, hands extended away from his body. He then jumped forward, hands extended, and landed on the face of his dizzied opponent, clawing at its face.

"Fa-ble!"

Mankey was soon slapped away by his opponent's claws, landing on the stone floor with a dull thud. He got up before the Clefable could hit him again, jumping into the air, before he kicked the Clefable in the face. When the Clefable fell towards the ground, a small amount of blood escaping its mouth, Mankey spun around and avoided the clawed fist of another Clefable. He then engaged this new opponent singlehandedly, even though he was getting pretty tired.

Mankey suddenly dropped to the floor, swinging his legs to trip his opponent, but this turned out to be a mistake. The earlier Clefable that he had knocked out had gotten up by this point, and sent him flying towards the wall of the cave with a single punch.

The wall cracked as Mankey's body impacted it, before he slid down towards the ground. Seconds later, another Clefable was Mankey's face, and slapped him around with its powerful arms. The force of the repeated blows caused Mankey massive damage, which led to him going unconscious at the tenth slap.

"Mankey, return!"

A red-colored beam shot from the shadows, connecting with Mankey, before it absorbed the Pig Monkey Pokemon and receded back into the dark. The Clefable, and Clefairy, looked on as the Rocket Trio emerged from the dark, with James putting away his Mankey's Poké Ball.

"Hand over the Moon Stone… or else." Jessie demanded.

"Fable Clefable!"

"Clefairy? Fairy Cle!"

"Clefable Cle, Fable Clefable!"

"Fairy!"

"Clefable Cle!"

"Fable!"

"I guess diplomacy didn't work, Jess…" James sighed. "… Oh well."

"You pathetic star-gazers will give us the Moon Stone because my associate, that Meowth over there, is holding your knocked-out 'babies' hostage." Jessie announced with a vicious smile on her face. "You wouldn't want us to hurt them, would you?"

The Pokémon spun around to see if what those Humans were saying was true. To their horror, their eyes told them that the Humans were indeed telling the truth. A Meowth was standing before their children, who had been gathered up into a medium-sized net. They then saw a Jigglypuff move from out behind the net before it went to stand by the Meowth, looking particularly smug.

"Hand over the Moon Stone… and we'll leave you pathetic star-gazers alone. We'll even give you your children back, safe and unharmed…" Jessie offered, before her voice hardened. "However, if you resist, you can say goodbye to them forever."

XXXXXX

(Meanwhile—Mt. Moon—With Ash and Anabel)

Anabel lurched upwards with a startled gasp, one of her sweaty hands racing towards her chest in an attempt to calm down her racing heart. She stayed that way for a couple of moments, trying to calm down as the memories of her nightmare played beneath her eyelids.

However, Anabel knew that this was no mere nightmare; it was a vision. A vision of what would happen if Team Rocket managed to get their hands on the Moon Stone—a boulder-sized evolutionary stone she hadn't known about until just now. She had seen the numerous, hellish things that villainous group would use it for. Those images alone were sure to inspire nightmares for many nights to come.

"Ash! Ash, wake up! Wake… up!"

Even as she was shouting at Ash, Anabel was already packing up their supplies as fast as she could. She had just finished placing everything back into their backpacks, besides Ash's sleeping bag, when Ash woke up with a yawn. "… What time is it?" He asked groggily, before he yawned. "And… why is it so dark?"

"We don't have time for that, Ash!" Anabel said. "Hurry up and get up! We have to get going, to that cave before it is too late!"

"What..? Before what is too late?" Ash asked, sounding confused.

"We have to stop Team Rocket before the steal the Moon Stone!"

* * *

Ash's Pokémon Team:

Eevee (Female): Level 14.

Attacks: Growl (Normal), Helping Hand (Normal), Sand-Attack (Normal), Scratch (Normal) Tackle (Normal), Tail Whip (Normal).

Pidgey (Male): Level 11.

Attacks: Sand-Attack (Ground), Tackle (Normal), Gust (Flying), and Quick Attack (Normal).

Rattata (Male): Level 12.

Attacks: Tackle (Normal), Tail Whip (Normal), Quick Attack (Normal), and Bite (Dark).

Kakuna (Male): Level 12.

Attacks: String-Shot (Bug), Poison-Sting (Poison), Bug-Bite (Bug), and Harden (Normal).

Clefairy (Female): Level 7.

Attacks: Pound (Normal) and Sing (Normal).

Anabel's Pokémon Team:

Abra (Male): Level 15.

Attacks: Teleport (Psychic), Psyshock (Psychic), and Confusion (Psychic).

Jessie's Pokémon Team:

Ekans (Male): Level 20.

Attacks: Wrap (Normal), Leer (Normal), and Poison Sting (Poison).

Jigglypuff (Female): Level 8.

Attacks: Sing (Normal) and Pound (Normal).

James' Pokémon Team:

Koffing (Male): Level 20.

Attacks: Tackle (Normal), Smog (Poison), and Selfdestruct (Normal).

Mankey (Male): Level 12.

Attacks: Scratch (Normal), Covet (Normal), Low Kick (Fighting), and Leer (Normal).

* * *

**A/N: Author's Note**: This chapter was updated as of 6/27/2012.


	13. Chapter 13:

Disclaimer: I don't own anything related to Pokemon.

* * *

Legend:

"A human or a Pokemon is talking."

_'A human or a Pokemon is thinking.'_

**"A machine is being used."**

* * *

Chapter Thirteen:

* * *

It was shortly after Ash had woken up that both he and Anabel had gotten going—with Anabel telling him about her vision along the way. She hadn't gotten very far, however, when he interrupted her.

"You're a Psychic?" Ash asked.

Anabel bit her lip for a moment, "I am. I have this… ability that allows me to read the emotions of Pokemon."

"Really?" Ash asked.

"Yeah. The day we met, I was mad when I saw you carrying Clefairy, as she looked really hurt. I was about to do something when I sensed her emotions. And that made me stop; she was happy, blissful even." Anabel admitted quietly. "When I looked at your emotions—"

"—Wait!" Ash interrupted, looking at Anabel with a stunned expression on his face. "You can read the emotions of people too?"

"I can, though it's harder than reading the emotions of Pokemon, as their emotions are rarely as complex as ours usually are." Anabel answered.

XXXXXX

-Mt. Moon: The Moon Stone's Cave-

After Team Rocket had threatened to hurt their baby Pokemon that they had captured, the older Clefairy and Clefable had reluctantly agreed to hand over the Moon Stone. This decision had caused Jessie to smirk—as this would make her team's mission all that easier to accomplish.

The red-haired woman turned to face her comrade, "James, go get the truck. We'll keep an eye on these pathetic star-gazers until you get back."

"Alright." James nodded.

With that simple statement, James quickly turned before he made his way out of the cave. He would back-track his way back to their temporary H.Q. and be back with their truck as soon as possible.

Once James came back with the truck, it would then be a simply matter of ordering the Clefable to load the Moon Stone into it. They would then take the Moon Stone back to their boss—where he would spare their lives.

XXXXXX

-The Kanto Region: Mt. Moon-

It was soon after Anabel had finished explaining about her abilities to Ash—and answering several of Ash's questions—when Anabel stopped suddenly. Ash skidded to a stop in front of Anabel before he turned to look at her with a confused expression on his face.

"Why'd you stop Anabel?" Ash asked.

Anabel shuddered slightly before she pulled Ash into the bushes, "shush"-ing him. It was only a few moments later when the two of them saw James emerge from behind an outcropping of rock forty feet before them.

Ash's eyes narrowed as he whispered, "Its James!"

"Luckily, he hasn't seen us yet." Anabel whispered back, her hand inching towards a Pokeball on her belt. "Let's use that to our advantage."

"Right!" Ash drew out his own Pokeball.

When James was only ten feet away from them before Ash's Paras came of the bushes. James made to sidestep Paras—only for Paras to release a cloud of paralyzing spores from the mushrooms on its back.

"What the he—!" James cursed, seconds before his entire muscular system locked in place, sending him towards the ground face-first. "Ugh!"

The bushes rustled as Ash exited them with Anabel at his heels. Ash grinned at the increasingly angered expression on James' faces before he turned to Paras and said, "Good job, Paras."

"Paras Ra Para Ra." Paras gibbered happily.

James grit his teeth as he futilely tried to move his paralyzed body even an inch, "How did you brats know we were still here?"

"Lucky guess?" Anabel shrugged before she called out her Abra, directly it towards James' downed form. "You know what to do, Abra."

The Psychic Pokemon moved towards James before it crouched down and put its hands on James' head. The purple-haired man's eyes widened as he felt something akin to a semi-frozen liquid moving inside his head.

"You b-brats!" James shouted. "Get out… GET OUT OF MY MIND!"

XXXXXX

-The Kanto Region: Mt. Moon-

As soon as Anabel's Abra had finished reading James' mind, it had knocked out James—who hadn't been able to do anything but shout—upon Anabel's order. Abra had then proceeded to relay the information he had gotten from James to Anabel, who told Ash.

"How are we going to do this Anabel?" Ash asked.

Anabel bit her lip as she thought about what they could do, "Meowth and Jessie are keeping control over the Clefable by threatening to hurt their children. Ash… if you make a big enough distraction, Abra could use Teleport to get into the cave, then teleport the younger Pokemon away."

"I think I can do that." Ash replied.

XXXXXX

-Mt. Moon: The Moon Stone's Cave-

It had been thirty minutes since James had left the cave to get the truck—causing Meowth and Jessie to grow increasingly worried. It wasn't that far of a walk to their temporary H.Q., so it shouldn't have been taking James long to get there.

Jessie gritted her teeth, "Enough of this! Meowth, I'm going to go find James and get the truck." She then turned her gaze towards the Clefable. "If any of you pathetic star-gazers so much as even twitches while I'm gone…"

Even though she hadn't stated what would happen, the Clefable knew what would happen if they disobeyed; their children would be hurt. So, knowing this, the muttered their reluctant willingness to obey Jessie's order.

"They say's that they won't move a muscle Jess." Meowth translated.

Jessie nodded curtly, "Good. Now, I'll be back with the truck—and James—as soon as I can."

With that, Jessie turned on her heel before she made off towards the entrance of the cave. She had barely made it outside of the cave when she spotted movement in the corner of her eyes, which caused them to narrow dangerously.

The red-haired woman fingered her remaining Pokeball as she continued to walk, her shoulders tensed. It was only a few moments later when she saw a Paras scuttle out of a nearby bush.

'_I thought that Paras' preferred to stay in caves.'_ Jessie thought as she stared at the crab-like Pokemon. _'So why would this one be outside? Unless—!'_

It was at that moment that multiple things happened at once. Firstly, the Paras released a large yellow cloud from the mushrooms on its back. Then, an all-to familiar Pidgey flew out of a nearby bush before it used its wings to create a gust of wind that pushed the yellow cloud towards her.

'_It's those two twerps!'_ Jessie thought in realization as she dodged to the side, before enlarging the Pokeball she had been fingering earlier.

"I choose you, Ekans!" Jessie shouted as she released her faithful Pokemon.

Ash emerged from the bushes as his two Pokemon moved in front of him, "It really sucks that move didn't work... I wouldn't have to fight you."

"You think you can beat me, twerp? Don't flatter yourself; you're not even in the same league as I am!" Jessie retorted.

"I don't have to be." Ash returned as he crossed his arms. "Pidgey, Sand-Attack, now!"

The twerp's Pidgey chirped an affirmative before it began to flap its wings, causing any and all of the loose earth and gravel to rise into the air. Jessie had to shield her eyes from the make-shift smokescreen, gritting her teeth once more.

With that smokescreen, the twerp's Paras would be able to move around the battlefield undetected—which was unacceptable—as it could position itself to paralyze her or her Pokemon. On the other hand, Ekans had an acute sense of smell, and would be more than able to beat down the twerp's Pokemon, if given the chance to.

"Pidgey, peck!"

From the corner of her eye, Jessie caught sight of the twerp's Pidgey before it dive-bombed her Ekans. Ekans, however, smelled the bird Pokemon with its tongue and slithered away moments before the attack would've connected. While the twerp's Pidgey banked to the right, Ekans launched itself towards the bird Pokemon.

"Bite!" Jessie commanded.

XXXXXX

-Mt. Moon: The Moon Stone's Cave-

It was only a few minutes after Jessie had left that Meowth noticed the commotion coming from the outside of the cave. The cat-like Pokemon's eyes widened slightly as he heard the all-too familiar sounds of Jessie's Ekans; Jessie was battling someone.

'_It's the twerps!'_ Meowth thought in realization. _'They must've seen James and ambushed him, which is why he was taking so long!'_

Meowth then proceeded to conclude that James had been defeated and the twerps had somehow gotten the location of Jessie and himself, though he didn't know how the twerps could've obtained that information."

"Jiggly-puff Jig!"

Meowth spun around at the urgency he could hear in Jigglypuff's voice, though he wondered how there could be an "intruder". He hadn't seen anybody walk inside the cave, and he had been watching the entrance since his team had taken control of the cave.

When he had fully turned around, he saw that purple-headed twerp's Abra was sitting on top of the pile of captured Pokemon. His eyes widened in shock—and dawning horror—before the Abra vanished with all of the young Pokemon his team had captured.

The sound of knuckles cracking could be heard as Meowth and Jigglypuff turned to face the Clefable, "Cle Fable Fa… Fable Clefable."

"T-There's no need ta resort ta that!" Meowth muttered with his hands held up in front of him, with Jigglypuff nodding her head in fervent agreement. "W-Why don't we all just calm down and—aah!"

"Cle!" One particularly angry Clefable interrupted Meowth by punching the cat-like Pokemon in the gut, sending him flying into a nearby wall.

"Clefable Cle Fable Le Fable! Fable!" That same Clefable called out, turning to face its comrades—who looked back at it with respect and appreciation in their eyes.

The remaining Clefable lifted their fists into the air, "Fable!"

XXXXXX

-The Kanto Region: Mt. Moon-

Anabel smiled when Abra rematerialized with the Pokemon that Team Rocket had captured, sending a wave of appreciation to her Pokemon. The Psi Pokemon flushed slightly at the sudden emotion before it nodded, and mumbled its name softly.

"Now, let's see if we can't get you little tykes out of that net…" Anabel muttered as she moved towards the large knot holding the net together.

"Ab Abra! Ab-ra!" Abra chattered warningly.

Anabel turned to face her Pokemon and—while she was turning—caught a glimpse of an all-too familiar figure. His clothes looked a bit scuffed up, and his hair was in a slight state of disarray, but that didn't matter. What did matter was the extremely angry expression on his face.

"So… you think you can just ambush me, read my mind, knock me out… and get away with it?" James asked as he grabbed a Pokeball from his belt.

"H… How did you wake up so fast?" Anabel asked, her shock of the situation causing her to stutter slightly. "That blow should've kept you under for at least an hour!"

James' face twisted into a vicious smirk, "That's my little secret, little girl. But enough of that… Go, Koffing!"

The purple-haired man's Koffing materialized within a flash of white light as Anabel's Abra teleported in front of his master. It was only seconds after this that Koffing charged towards Abra, probably intending to Tackle him.

"Psyshock." Anabel ordered.

Abra waved his arms in the air before a glob of psychic energy formed before in front of its hands. The Psi Pokemon launched his attack at Koffing only seconds after completing it, before his eyes widened slightly—Koffing had dodged to the side.

Koffing hovered for a minute before it charged towards its foe, "Koff-ing!"

"Confusion followed by Psyshock!" Anabel ordered.

"Abra!"

The area around Abra's eyes glowed a faint, pale-red color before Koffing became outlined in that same energy. Koffing's usual, blissful expression turned into a look of confusion before it started shaking within Abra's psychic grasp. While this was happening, another glob of psychic energy began forming before Abra's hands—though it was forming much more slowly than the first.

James' mouth twisted into a frown, "Selfdestruct!"

Confused, it took a few moments for Koffing to actually register James' order. It then nodded with a faint "Koff" before its body began to glow a putrid purple color. Then, time appeared to slow down. Abra released his Psyshock towards Koffing, whose purple glow increased in brightness and intensity as the seconds ticked by. Then, when Abra's Psyshock attack was mere inches away from Koffing, the Poison-Type Pokemon exploded in a cloud of black smoke.

The power of this explosion was only increased by Abra's Psyshock attack, the energy in which resulted in another explosion that pushed everybody back and scorched the earth.

Abra—being closer to the explosion than Anabel or James—was knocked into unconsciousness, with severe-looking burns covering its body. Anabel had been thrown back from the force of the explosion where she landed harshly on the rocky ground, with a trickle of blood coming from her freshly-scraped knees and arms.

Having not expected the secondary explosion, James had been unprepared. This ended up with him being thrown back into a nearby tree, the resulting impact causing a small flock of Spearow to caw out in distress before flying away. For his troubles he got a couple scrapes and bruises, a slightly ripped and burnt uniform, and a mild headache.

"Koffing!" Koffing called out confusedly, looking around for its master. When it spotted James it flew over to him before looking at him, "Koffing Kof Kof-ing? Koffing!"

James groaned and got up, using the tree behind him for support. He ignored his Pokemon for a moment and looked towards his enemy—who had yet to get up—before he looked at her Pokemon. It appeared to be unconscious, with easily-visible burns peppered around its body.

XXXXXX

-The Kanto Region: Mt. Moon-

Ash frowned as his improvised smokescreen began to clear, something that he knew that he wouldn't be able to do again.

While he had known that Jessie was on a higher level than him, he had thought that the smokescreen would help him distract—if not defeat—the red-haired woman. He was wrong. She had seemed to quickly figure out his strategy and then make up a counter-strategy.

Jessie had outsmarted him by appearing to have her Ekans attack his Pidgey when she had merely used that as a diversion so he focused his attention on Pidgey. In reality, her Ekans had attacked Paras, whom he had to recall soon after Ekans' attack.

After that defeat, he had focused his attention on Pidgey, who tried its best to avoid Ekans. The smokescreen and its ability to fly had given it some advantages but, even with them, Ekans had been able to score some decent hits on Pidgey.

"What's the matter, twerp?" Jessie asked with a smirk, visible through the dissipating smokescreen. "Are you afraid your little birdy is going to get hurt?"

"Not as bad as your Ekans is going to get hurt!" Ash hotly retorted.

Jessie laughed, "I thought I already told you, twerp… I'm on a completely different level than you are. You only won that match in the caves because you used ALL your Pokemon. Even two-to-one, Ekans is still able to beat the crap out of your team without breaking a sweat!"

"Why you—!" Ash began angrily, stopping mid-sentence when he heard his Pidgey cry out in pain; Ekans had bitten Pidgey's wing. "Pidgey!"

Jessie crossed her arms with a smirk, "It's like I told you; your Pokemon don't stand a chance against mine. You had no hope of winning, little boy."

By this point, Pidgey looked to be struggling to stay aloft, with its left wing bleeding freely. The Tiny Bird Pokemon seemed to get more tired with every passing moment—Ekans' bite had poisoned him—which was not a good sign at all.

"Surrender and tell me where James is, and I might give you an antidote to save your bird. If you refuse…" Jessie paused for a moment before she spoke again, with her eyes glinting maliciously. "Your Pidgey will make a lovely snack for Ekans."

Ash clenched his hands into fists and was silent for a minute and, just when he looked like he was about to speak, he was cut off by his own Pokemon.

"Pi Pidgey… Pidge… Pidgey Pi-ey Pidge Pidgey!" Pidgey chirped loudly, drawing Ash's attention to it, even as it held its opponent's gaze with its own determined visage. "Pidgey!"

"You… You still want to fight, Pidgey?" Ash asked, stunned.

Pidgey turned its head to face its trainer before it gave him a resolute nod, "Pidgey. Pidge… Pidgey Pi Pidge Pid."

"I'm sorry…" Ash said as he lowered his head, causing Jessie to smirk, only to raise his head a few seconds later with a smirk of his own. "Pidgey wants to fight, and I don't have it in me to go against what he wants. So, prepare yourself, Jessie! Pidgey, Peck!"

Pidgey gave an excited chirp before it nodded, with its beak beginning to glow a faint white color. It then flew towards Ekans just as the snake-like Pokemon launched itself towards Pidgey, following Jessie's growled-out command of "Attack!"

"You can do it Pidgey!" Ash shouted from the sidelines. "Show that stupid snake what you're made of!"

"Such big words! Unfortunately, your bird's all outta luck! Finish it off with another Bite, Ekans!" Jessie ordered.

Right when the two Pokemon were about to collide, Ekans opened its mouth and hissed at Pidgey, who began to glow a faint white light. The two humans had to shield their eyes as the brightness of the light increased, with Jessie muttering a curse as she realized what was happening. Pidgey was evolving.

Ash shielded his eyes with his hands, confused about what was happening to his pokemon. However, once the light had faded and he was able to look at Pidgey again, his confusion turned to excitement. That light had come from Pidgey evolving into its second form, a Pidgeotto!

Pidgey—now Pidgeotto—was a large, raptor-like bird. While his primary color was brown, his plumage was much more elaborate than his pre-evolution, Pidgey. His head-crest was much longer than Pidgey's and was a reddish color. The plumage of his tail was also quite colorful, alternating between red and yellow. Other than his ornamental plumage, his basic coloration is similar to Pidgey, with pinkish-gray feet and black markings around his eyes. Pidgeotto also had powerful talons in which it could use to grasp prey and inflict a lot of damage.

Ash quickly took out his Pokedex and flipped it open, "Pidgeotto, the Bird Pokemon. It flies over its wide territory in source of prey, downing it with its large claws."

"Geotto!" Pidgeotto cried as it raised its talons—which were currently holding the two sides of Ekans' opened mouth—before it threw Ekans off of it. The snake-like Pokemon impacted the ground hard enough to leave a slight crater, a testament to Pidgeotto's new strength.

Jessie grit her teeth as Ash pumped a fist, "Yes! Way to go Pidgey—I mean, Pidgeotto! Now, let's see if we can't finish that stupid snake; use your Tackle attack!"

"Get up, Ekans!" Jessie demanded as Pidgeotto cried out before dive-bombing her Pokemon. "Get up, now!"

* * *

Ash's Current Pokemon Team:

Eevee

Attacks: Tackle (Normal), Scratch (Normal), Tail-Whip (Normal), Helping Hand (Normal), and Growl (Normal).

Pidgeotto

Attacks: Sand Attack (Ground), Tackle (Normal), and Peck (Flying).

Rattata

Attacks: Bite (Dark), Tackle (Normal), and Scratch (Normal).

Kakuna:

Attacks: String-Shot (Bug), Poison-Sting (Poison), and Bug-Bite (Bug).

Clefairy:

Attacks: Sing (Normal) and Pound (Normal).

Paras

Attacks: Poison Powder (Poison), Stun Spore (Grass), and Spore (Grass).

Anabel's Current Pokemon Team:

Abra

Attacks: Teleport (Psychic), Psyshock (Psychic), and Confusion (Psychic).

Jessie's Current Pokemon Team:

Ekans

Attacks: Bind (Normal) and Bite (Dark)

Jigglypuff

Attacks: Sing (Normal) and Pound (Normal)

James' Current Pokemon Team:

Koffing:

Attacks: Tackle (Normal), Selfdestruct (Normal), and Smokescreen (Normal)

Mankey 

Attacks: Scratch (Normal), Covet (Normal), Low Kick (Fighting), and Leer (Normal)

* * *

**A/N; Author's Note:** And we're back! I'm sorry that I haven't updated in a while, but I've had some major writer's block, some medical issues, and boring school projects/assignments you don't want to here about. I've also tried to get my other story (Arrancar in Amity) close to this one, chapter-wise.

Anyways, you guys know the drill. Read and review. Flames will be ignored, as always.


	14. Chapter 14:

Disclaimer: I do not, nor have I ever, owned anything related to Nintendo's _Pokemon_ franchise.

* * *

Legend:

"A human or a Pokemon is talking."

'_A human or a Pokemon is thinking.'_

"**A machine is being used."**

* * *

Chapter Fourteen:

* * *

(Ash Ketchum vs. Jessie)

"Get up, Ekans!" Jessie demanded as the twerp's Pidgeotto cried out before it dive-bombed toward her Pokemon. "Get up, now!"

Ekans slowly lifted its head off of the ground before it looked at Jessie, wondering why its trainer was looking at it with that particular expression on her face. It was only moments later that Ekans heard its trainer yell at it again.

"Dodge!" The magenta-haired woman barked out authoritatively, that tone instantly making Ekans obey. It dodged to the left, narrowly avoiding the beak of Ash's Pidgeotto. "Good! Ekans, Bite!"

Ekans nodded once before it launched itself at the raptor-like bird, which had wheeled around and was now flying swiftly towards it. The purple, snake-like Pokemon felt a sense of familiarity wash over it as it "flew" towards the bird.

Had it fought this Pokemon before? At the Pokemon Center in Viridian City? No, that Pokemon was bigger than the bird it was fighting now.

XXXXXX

(Meanwhile—With James)

James stared at the downed unmoving forms of the twerp and her Pokemon for a couple of moments, an unreadable emotion on his face, before he glanced at Koffing.

Selfdestruct was a move that forced the Pokemon to expend over 70-90% of its energy in a single, explosive burst. The glow that Pokemon gained before they used this technique came from the gathering of energy over the skin, which could take as long as five-to-twenty seconds, depending on the Pokemon. It was actually the massive drain in energy, followed by the explosion's recoil, which usually forced Pokemon into unconsciousness.

However, if a Pokemon were trained on how to control the amount of energy within their attacks, then they could minimalize the energy loss and recoil that followed the explosion. However, even with this method, Pokemon could still be knocked unconscious if they repeated the move again.

It was by using this method that Koffing had not been forced into unconsciousness by its own attack. Koffing, however, had burns over its body that James supposed were from the secondary, unexpected explosion, and it looked very tired.

James nodded to himself after a moment before he took a glance towards the twerp and her Pokemon again. It would only take one or two moves for Koffing to finish them.

"Koffing, finish them." The purple-haired man ordered.

Koffing bobbed in the air before it took off towards the twerp and her Pokemon, with a thick and poisonous dark-green gas emerging from every hole on its body. "Koff Koffing."

However, when Koffing was only mere feet away from Abra, and a couple yards away from Anabel, it was hit in the head by a small barrage of rocks. This sudden attack caused Koffing to veer off course and crash into a nearby tree, where it emitted a pitiful groan.

"Wha—?" James murmured in shock, wondering where the sudden attack had come from, before he saw a small troupe of Geodude emerge from the woodwork on the twerp's side of the clearing.

"Geodude, Geo-dude Geo!" The troupe of Geodude cried out before they slammed their fists against the ground.

This in turn caused a section of rock before the Geodude troupe, and past the twerp and her Abra, to shatter before a deluge of rocks were launched towards James and Koffing. Upon seeing this attack, James bit back a curse before he dived out of the way.

From her position on the ground, Anabel smiled weakly as she thought _'… I knew someone would come… to help…'_ before her vision began to darken as her eyes slowly closed, soon falling into sweet unconsciousness.

XXXXXX

(Ash vs. Jessie)

Ash watched as Pidgeotto winged its way around Ekans, before it quickly flew from behind the airborne snake and delivered a harsh "Peck". The force behind this attack caused Ekans to cry out in pain before it was sent spiraling downwards, where it crashed against the surface of the ground.

"Whoo-hoo!" Ash cheered with a wide grin. "Keep it up!"

Jessie frowned again before she murmured to herself, "I should've realized that having Ekans attack from the air would be pointless…" she then raised her head before shouting, "Ekans, use Acid!"

'_Acid?' _Ash wondered with a semi-confused expression on his face.

Ekans hissed in acknowledgement of its trainer's order before it opened its mouth and sent forth a spray of blackish-greenish liquid towards Pidgeotto. The bird Pokemon—wary of this attack—dodged to the side, avoiding the liquid. Pidgeotto was fortunate to have avoided this attack as when it hit the ground, it began to dissolve everything beneath it.

Ash's eyes widened for a moment before they narrowed again, having realized what would've happened had his Pidgeotto not dodged.

"Pidgeotto, use Sand-Attack and follow it up with a Peck!" Ash ordered seriously before, almost as an afterthought, said. "And avoid that liquid at any cost!"

"Geotto!" Pidgeotto nodded before it began to flap its powerful wings, causing the loose dirt and dust around it to begin to rise into the air.

Jessie frowned, "Who says I'm going to let you finish that attack, twerp? Ekans, Acid that pesky bird out of the sky!"

Ekans hissed again before it released another stream of acid at Pidgeotto, who quickly swerved out of the way and into the partially-formed smokescreen. The snake-like Pokemon released another Acid towards the shadow visible in the smokescreen, only for Pidgeotto to wing its way out of the top of it.

It was then that Pidgeotto dive-bombed towards Ekans again, with its beak beginning to glow a bright white color. Pidgeotto flew between the ever-increasing bursts of acid directed at it—though a few feathers were hit by one burst—only to release a cry when it was a dozen feet away from Ekans.

"C'mon, Pidgeotto! You can do it!" Ash shouted.

Jessie clenched her hands, "I thought I told you to blast that bird out of the sky, Ekans! Do it, now! You know what's at stake here!"

"Pi—" Pidgeotto cried as its glowing beak impacted Ekans' body, sending the snake-like Pokemon flying where upon it landed harshly on the ground. "—geotto!"

"Ek… ans." Ekans hissed out weakly as it tried to upright itself, though the immense pain its body was currently causing it to hiss in pain and stop trying to move.

Jessie looked at her Pokemon for a moment, her face displaying a severe amount of concern and shock, before she whirled around to glare at Ash. The black-haired boy's Pidgeotto landed in front of him, glaring right back at Jessie, and scraped its talons against the ground warningly. If she attempted to harm Ash, she knew his Pidgeotto would attack.

It was at that moment that Jessie realized that she had been defeated once again and it was all because she had underestimated the twerp. She hadn't really believed that he could beat her without having the advantage of numbers on his side, which was somewhat true, and had thought that it would've been all-too easy to defeat him.

If she had gone all-out and had actually treated the twerp like he was her equal, then she would've been the victor of this battle. She would have been able to force the twerp to tell her where James was, rescue James, and complete the mission.

Jessie bowed her head slightly, her heart aching at the thought of her failure. Even if she and her team managed to get away, she knew that they had blown their chance to get the Moon Stone.

'_James…'_ Jessie thought miserably, fists clenching at her sides as she tried to fight off a sudden wave of tears. _'I'm sorry.'_

The twerp stared at her for a moment with a confused expression on his face before he took a single step forward, "Jessie—"

The twerp suddenly stopped mid-sentence, with his eyes widening in shock as he looked at something behind her. The twerp's Pidgeotto shrieked in warning before it flapped its wings, taking to the air as it seemed to become angry. Jessie took a chance then and turned around slightly to see what was going on behind her.

Her Jigglypuff had just flown out of the Moon Stone's cave while in its inflated, balloon-like state, while a semi-conscious Meowth held onto one of its feet. On the ground, a horde of pink Pokemon were following the airborne Pokemon, angry expressions on their faces as they yelled at Jigglypuff and Meowth.

"Clefable!"

"Fa Clefable!"

"Cle Fable Fa!"

'_What's going on here?_' Jessie thought in confusion, before her eyes narrowed slightly. _'Those Pokemon would never have turned on Meowth and Jigglypuff while their children were being held hostage… So why have they…?'_ An image of the twerp's purple-headed companion passed through her mind. _'That girl had an Abra! That means—!'_

"C'mon Jess!" Meowth hollered down at Jessie. "Stop standing around! The twerpette's Abra popped in and took our hostages; the Clefable aren't happy about it! Get on!"

Jessie nodded once before she crouched down on the ground before she jumped into the air—hearing the twerp loudly protest her action—and grabbed hold of Jigglypuff's unoccupied leg. Jigglypuff exclaimed at the sudden, unexpected weight and dropped a fair distance before righting itself.

Jessie then looked down at the twerp again, who was looking up her with an unreadable expression on his face. He was forced to turn away when his Pidgeotto nudged him in the side with its beak, causing him to frown before he nodded. The twerp then started running away from the nearing horde of pink Pokemon, with his Pidgeotto following behind him diligently.

'_I will pay you back for interfering with two of my team's missions, twerp.'_ Jessie thought before a twisted smirk appeared on her face. _'You can bet your life on that fact.'_

XXXXXX

(Sometime later—Mt. Moon—Cave of the Moonstone)

After Jessie had escaped with Meowth on that inflated pink Pokemon—which Ash had learned to be a Jigglypuff—it wasn't very long until Ash and his Pidgeotto were captured. Angry as they were, the Clefable must've thought Ash was friends with the ones that had captured their children, or thought that he had somehow been involved in the kidnapping of their children.

However, before Ash had been caught, he had called his Pidgeotto back into its Pokeball, which proved to be a wise decision in the end. If he had left Pidgeotto out, his Pokemon would've probably attacked, or tried to, attack the Clefable. That would have made the situation he was in worse than it already was.

At the moment, Ash was currently sitting on his knees while a young-looking Clefable kept a tight grip on his shoulders. The Clefable's grip wasn't as strong as it could've been, but it didn't have to be; it was meant as a warning.

An old-looking Clefable stepped forward and stared at Ash with an unreadable expression on its face, "Clefable Cle Fable Cle Fable-Ce!"

"... If you are asking about those guys that came to your cave, I do know them—!" Ash began, causing the grip on his arm to tighten significantly as several Clefable exclaimed angrily. "But I don't work with them!"

"Clefable?" The aged Clefable asked.

The Clefable quieted at this question, though the grip on Ash's arm remained tight. "I first met them while in Viridian City, while they were trying to rob a Pokemon Center. Another Trainer came and distracted them while I helped Nurse Joy get away." Ash sighed. "But they found us, and I battled Jessie for a while… some Pikachu drove her away…"

"Clefable Cle-Cle Fable Fa-Cle?" Another Clefable asked.

"I came here tonight because my friend—Anabel—had a vision that Jessie and James would steal the Moon Stone—" Ash's words caused a few exclamations in alarm and surprise. He paused to allow the Clefable to talk amongst themselves before he spoke again. "We ambushed James and got some information off of him, and then we made a plan to help you guys out."

The eldest Clefable stepped forward and looked Ash in the eyes before it asked, "Cle?" which Ash answered with a "Yes."

The next few moments were spent in a tense silence as the oldest Clefable stared Ash in the eyes, as if trying to see if he was really telling the truth. One minute later, the Clefable nodded and backed off before waving towards the Clefable behind Ash, causing it to release its grip on Ash's arm.

"Thanks." Ash said as he rubbed where the Clefable had held him. "My part of the plan was to create a distraction—which I think I made by battling Jessie. Anabel would use my distraction and use Abra to Teleport the Pokemon Jessie and James captured to safety."

With that last bit of information, realization started appearing on the Clefable's faces as they seemed to put things together. This Pokemon Trainer and his friend had made a plan with another Pokemon Trainer that had an Abra, which had been the Pokemon they had seen before their children had been "kidnapped" again. But, if that was the case, then where were this Pokemon Trainer and their children?

It was only two minutes later when their question was answered. Multiple ears perked up as they heard the sound of footsteps approaching their cave. This was soon followed by the happy exclamations of the Clefable's children, who then ran as fast as they could towards their parents.

"Dude."

"Dude Geodude."

"Geodude."

At the sound of these voices Ash—along with the Clefable around the cave—turned towards the entrance. It was there that they saw two groups of Geodudes coming into the cave, muscular arms raised as each group carried a being larger than themselves.

Ash's eyes widened at the sight of the sight, _'That's… That's Anabel. But… how?'_ His eyes were glued to the sight of the blood around Anabel's elbows and knees, the multicolored bruises that were forming on her skin. _'… How did… how did she get so… hurt?'_

In his shock, Ash wasn't aware of how the Clefable moved their young out of the way of the Geodude groups, or how the oldest Clefable walked forward to meet them. Then, when the Geodudes were only a couple feet away, they stopped before they slowly lowered Anabel and Abra to the floor.

A young Geodude then walked forward, "Geodude Geo-Dude Du—" it turned slightly before it pointed at Anabel and Abra, "Geo-Du. Geodude Geo De!"

Suddenly, a great exclamation broke out, which drew Ash's attention to the source. The enormous round stone that Ash supposed was the Clefable's Moon Stone was glowing a vibrant, slightly off-white color. However, that wasn't what the Clefable were exclaiming about, or what Ash stared at; it was the hazy figure beginning to form in the moonlight.

The figure was mainly a reddish-orange color, with a bluish-green face and three dots similar in color to its face situated in an upwards pointing equilateral triangle on its back. It had a purple stripe on its face and what looked to be a spherical, purple crystal in its chest. It's eyes were white and circular inside black sockets, which were shaped like rounded parallelograms.

This figure had skinny legs that came to a point, with the upper-legs having a single, segmented blue stripe that fell down to its knees. Each of its arms was a pair of cord-like tentacles, reddish-orange and blue, coiled in a double-helix shape. It also had two trapezoid-shaped "ears" and a short tail.

And it was staring straight at Ash.

"Wha—?" Ash muttered.

The Pokemon made a strange sound, like a groan that had been mixed with a yawn, which echoed throughout the cave. It was a haunting sound that sent shivers down backs, as it sounded strange, unnatural.

Ash felt himself drawn to the sound and slowly got up and started walking towards the strange, hazy Pokemon. He never noticed how all of the Pokemon in his path moved out of his way silently, watching to see how this would play out.

Ash stopped only a foot away from the Moon Stone and looked up as the strange Pokemon lowered itself towards him. For some reason, he noticed that this Pokemon didn't stray out of the moonlight that it had appeared in, and wasn't that easy to see.

"What do you want?" Ash heard himself asking of the Pokemon after it had come to a rest, staring at him with a somewhat-pleading expression on its face. His brows furrowed slightly as he bit his lip, "Why are you here?"

"_Need…" _

Ash startled in surprise at voice he could hear before he looked around himself to see who had spoken out. He, however, found there was no one else—besides him—that could've made said something. But he hadn't spoken, so who had?

"_Need… come… Friend…"_

Ash turned towards the Pokemon before him and almost slapped himself for the question he was about to ask of it, "Are you talking?"

"_Yes. Boy… Need… come..."_

Ash's eyes widened at the Pokemon's answer as he had honestly believed that he had been imagining the voice. He had known that Pokemon could speak, but for all his life he had believed that Pokemon could only speak using different combinations of their names. But, to actually hear a Pokemon speak English and be able to understand it, it was simply amazing!

"… Why are you here?"

The Pokemon released another groan and yawn-like sound before it moved a little bit closer to Ash, _"Boy… Need… I… came… Need… boy to… come…"_

"I… I called you here?" Ash exclaimed in shock.

"_Yes…..." _The Pokemon answered him before it looked around, with Ash following its gaze. It then gently hovered over to Anabel and Abra, who were barely within the reach of the moonlight that poured into the cave. _"I came…"_ The tentacles that made up its arms reached down and touched Anabel and Abra's bodies before a white glow began to cover them all. _"… Help…"_

Ash stood shock-still as he watched as bruises, scrapes, and cuts on Anabel and Abra began to vanish in that white light. He didn't quite understand how he had "called" that strange Pokemon to "help", but right now it didn't matter. All that mattered right now was that someone had come and was now helping his friends where he couldn't.

"_Done…"_ The Pokemon muttered as it withdrew its tentacles from Anabel and Abra, its form flickering as it turned to Ash. _"… No… Not done…" _It muttered to itself as its eyes locked on one of the Pokeballs hanging on Ash's belt before it moved forward, and enveloped the Pokeball with its tentacles.

Ash looked up at the Pokemon with a confused expression on his face, "What—what are you doing?"

"_Helping hurt…" _The Pokemon murmured.

As every Pokemon and conscious Human were currently staring at the strange Pokemon as it worked, they never noticed what was happening to the Moon Stone. Thin, spider-web-like cracks had begun to spread across its surface since the Pokemon had appeared and were only spreading, and getting thicker as time passed.

Things suddenly clicked for Ash as he realized what the Pokemon had meant; it had somehow sensed Clefairy even while it was in its Pokeball and was healing it, like it had Anabel and Abra. His eyes grew big as this realization began to sink in.

However, it was only after this happened that Ash noticed the tentacles on Clefairy's Pokeball were now fading in and out. He looked up to see that the rest of the Pokemon was also fading in and out, which caused a concerned expression to form on his face.

"Hey! What's wrong?" Ash asked of the Pokemon, who turned to look at him with an intense look of concentration. "What's happening to you? Why are you disappearing?"

All of the Clefable, Clefairy, and Cleffa exclaimed in alarm as they finally noticed the deep cracks that had were forming upon their "Sacred Rock". They didn't understand why it appeared to be breaking apart, though they quickly came up with some ideas. Could the humans have disturbed the Sacred Rock, or was it that strange Pokemon?

_"Energy… used… much."_ The Pokemon muttered weakly before it floated closer to Ash—having retracted its tentacles from Clefairy's Pokeball. _"Please… boy, help… Friend!"_

Ash shook his head in confusion, "I don't understand! What's going on?"

_"Friend... boy, please! Help…" _The Pokemon muttered as its form flickered until there was only an indistinguishable cloud of colors floating before Ash. It then slowly reached towards Ash and, before it vanished completely, it said one last thing. _"… Please."_

Behind Ash, the cracked Moon Stone finally gave out and revealed something that no one would ever suspect; the Moon Stone was hollow! And—laying in the middle of it—was a strange-looking egg that slowly faded from a brilliant red to a pale pink color. 

* * *

Ash's Current Pokemon Team:

Eevee

Attacks: Tackle (Normal), Scratch (Normal), Tail-Whip (Normal), Helping Hand (Normal), and Growl (Normal).

Pidgeotto

Attacks: Sand Attack (Ground), Tackle (Normal), and Peck (Flying).

Rattata

Attacks: Bite (Dark), Tackle (Normal), and Scratch (Normal).

Kakuna:

Attacks: String-Shot (Bug), Poison-Sting (Poison), and Bug-Bite (Bug).

Clefairy:

Attacks: Sing (Normal) and Pound (Normal).

Paras

Attacks: Poison Powder (Poison), Stun Spore (Grass), and Spore (Grass).

Anabel's Current Pokemon Team:

Abra

Attacks: Teleport (Psychic), Psyshock (Psychic), and Confusion (Psychic).

Jessie's Current Pokemon Team:

Ekans

Attacks: Bind (Normal), Acid (Poison), and Bite (Dark).

Jigglypuff

Attacks: Sing (Normal) and Pound (Normal).

James' Current Pokemon Team:

Koffing:

Attacks: Tackle (Normal), Selfdestruct (Normal), Poison Gas (Poison), and Smokescreen (Normal).

Mankey 

Attacks: Scratch (Normal), Covet (Normal), Low Kick (Fighting), and Leer (Normal).


	15. Chapter 15:

Disclaimer: I don't own anything related to Nintendo's Pokémon franchise.

* * *

Legend:

"Someone is talking."

'_Someone is thinking.'_

"**A machine is being used."**

* * *

Chapter Fifteen:

* * *

Behind Ash, the cracked Moon Stone finally gave out and, shuddering as portions of rock fell away, revealed something that nobody would've ever expected; the Moon Stone was hollow. And—lying in the middle of its hollow center—was a strange-looking egg that slowly faded from a brilliant red to a pale pink color.

For a few precious moments, the entire cave was silent; the Clefable staring at the Moon Stone in shock and Ash staring at the space that strange Pokémon had floated in.

However, this silence was broken when a young Clefairy pointed towards the egg lying inside of the Moon Stone and yelled. This yell caused seemed to release all of the other Pokémon in the cave—besides the Geodude—from their sudden stupor, which led to them joining the first Clefairy in yelling at the egg.

To these "spiritually-aware" Clefable and Clefairy, they could sense that egg is not of their world. The egg had also defiled and broken the object of their worship, the Moon Stone, which was a crime worthy of a thousand deaths.

The sudden ruckus drew Ash from his own stupor before he turned towards the source. His eyebrows furrowed when he saw all of the Cleffa, Clefairy, and Clefable yelling at what looked to be a Pokémon egg that rested in the middle of the Moon Stone.

_'Wait—!'_ Ash thought, doing a double take. _'The Moon Stone is hollow? But—How? And why are the Pokémon all shouting at that egg?'_

One Clefable broke free from the sudden mob of pink Pokémon, jumped behind the egg, before it addressed its companions, "Clefable Cle Fable Cle!"

"Fable!"

Ash looked on in confusion as to what was going on before he saw the Clefable by the egg pick up a small but jagged piece of the former Moon Stone. His eyes widened as the Clefable shouted something out, his body already rushing forward.

"NO!" Ash shouted as he lunged for the egg—wrapping his arms around it as he fell—before he cried out in pain as he felt something sharp dig into his side.

The Clefable intending to destroy the egg hadn't been able to stop its makeshift weapon, leading it to have stabbed Ash in the side. It was only a few milliseconds later when the Clefable let go of its weapon before it backed up shakily.

Ash grit his teeth as he slowly moved into a semi-upright position before he looked down. His eyes widened when he saw the rock embedded into his side through his jacket and shirt, the growing circle of crimson liquid.

The six Poké Balls on Ash's belt turned bright white and began to shake before—in a stunning flash of bright white light—all of Ash's Pokémon materialized around him.

"Ve." Directly in front of Ash's injured form, Eevee bared her teeth before growling lowly, her long ears flattened against the back of her head.

Pidgeotto landed with a shriek before the Clefable that had hurt Ash, its glare being all that was needed to freeze it in place. If that Clefable so much as even moved a single muscle, then Pidgeotto would unleash all of its displeasure on it.

Rattata chattered worriedly at its Trainer's side—occasionally turning around before it growled at the group of pink Pokémon—as it was unable to do anything else at this point in time.

By Rattata's side stood Clefairy, who looked upon her Trainer with tears running down from her eyes to her fur. She couldn't stand the look of pain on her Trainer's face nor the blood that was seeping through his jacket.

Paras quickly scuttled over to Ash's side before it plucked a small portion of one of the mushrooms on its shell. It then chattered to its Trainer reassuringly before it used its other claw to grab the shard embedded into its Trainer's side before it started pulling.

Ash exclaimed from the pain as the jagged piece of earth was slowly torn out—which caused all of his Pokémon, besides Para, to look at him with alarm. They then looked at Paras who threw away the shard of Moon Stone disgustingly before it soaked Ash's wound with its mushroom.

While Paras attempted to help with Ash's wound, Kakuna was shaking from barely-suppressed rage. The sheer force of its emotion, coupled with its feeling of worthlessness and helplessness, slowly caused it to glow a bright white.

"Beedrill!"

Kakuna—Beedrill, now—now resembled a bipedal wasp, though it only had four legs instead of the standard six. Beedrill's head was round with a slightly pointed mouth, with large red eyes and antennae in the shape of the number seven. Its legs were connected to its body by its thorax, and the first two were tipped with long, conical stingers. Beedrill stood on its other two legs, which were long, segmented and insect-like in shape. Beedrill also had two pairs of rounded, veined wings, and another stinger on its striped abdomen.

With an angry buzz, Beedrill went aloft with its newfound wings before it charged at the Clefable that had dared hurt its Trainer. The Clefable's eyes widened in alarm before it backed up slightly, too late as Beedrill lashed out and left a brutal gash on Clefable's shoulder.

"Clefable!" Clefable cried out in pain as it fell backwards with wide eyes and a hand over its now-bleeding shoulder.

Beedrill took advantage of Clefable's uneven footing and charged forward, its conical stingers flying almost too fast for the eye to see. These stingers mainly small puncture wounds, but occasionally it would leave another gash, causing the Clefable to cry out in pain.

However, it was shortly after Beedrill began its assault that Pidgeotto interfered—landing in between the two Pokémon. Pidgeotto stared at the infuriated, buzzing form of Beedrill before it cawed warningly.

"Drill Bee-ill!" Beedrill buzzed angrily, pointing at the downed Clefable behind Pidgeotto. "Beedrill Drill-e Beedrill!"

Pidgeotto shook its head, "Pidge-to Pidgeotto Pi, Pi-To." It then jerked its head towards where Ash was currently lying. "Pi-To, Pidgeotto! Pidgey!"

Beedrill glared at Pidgeotto for a couple of moments before it gave a buzzed at the downed Clefable before it flew off to Ash's side. Said Clefable looked up at its savior, looking as if it was about to say something, only for Pidgeotto to move towards its Trainer.

Even as Beedrill had been attacking Clefable, Paras was treating Ash's wound as best as it could. The bit of mushroom it had used had spores which had been effective in numbing its Trainer's pain. It had also been effective in stemming, and eventually stopping, the flow of blood from Ash's wound.

The bloodied mushroom was thrown away by Paras—as it had no more use for it—before it ripped off another piece. Paras then gently pressed the mushroom on top of Ash's wound before it frowned.

How was it supposed to bind its Trainer's wound?

"… A-Anabel…" Ash muttered, eyes wide.

Paras looked up from Ash's wound to see that purple-haired female friend of its Trainer had indeed gotten up. She still looked rather tired, her clothing was ruffled and slightly burnt, and her hair messy but, other than that, she was perfectly fine.

Anabel frowned as she walked the distance separating the two of them—Ash's Pokémon parting to allow her by—before she came to a stop. She then kneeled to the ground before ripping off the bottom of her shirt.

"I'll take care of it, Paras." Anabel murmured to the crab-like Pokémon. Paras chattered at her for a moment, weary, before nodding and scuttling half a foot away.

"I thought you were—" Ash began quietly.

Anabel nodded, "I was asleep… until that Pokémon healed me and Abra." Here she smiled, sparing a glance at Clefairy, who had also been healed by that strange humanoid Pokémon. "And it looks like Clefairy is all better too."

Silence descended on that section of the cave as Anabel used the former part of her shirt as makeshift bandages and wrapped them around Ash's abdomen.

"I guess it's my turn to make sure you get better."

Ash looked up at Anabel with a confused expression, "Huh?"

"I heard what that Pokémon said to you, Ash." Anabel admitted as she finished with Ash's temporary bandages. "But…" Here her expression grew fierce before she hit him across the face. "Don't put yourself into that much trouble again!"

Ash hissed in pain and confusion—wondering what Anabel was talking about—hands flying towards his face. It was a couple seconds later when Anabel collapsed on him, whereupon his shirt started to get wet.

They were tears. Anabel was crying.

"Do you know—do you know how I _felt_? Waking up to see my only friend rushing up here! Seeing—watching him get _stabbed_!" Anabel balled the fabric of Ash's shirt into her hand, body shaking from the force of her sobs. "How could you—how could you be so… so _stupid_?"

Ash pulled Anabel closer before her grip tightened and her sobs increased in volume and in strength, "… I'm sorry; Anabel but… there wasn't any other choice. I had to save that egg."

For the next several minutes, Ash comforted Anabel the best that he was able to until she was finally able to gain control of her emotions again. She then backed away from Ash, sniffling, before she rubbed the tears off her face with the back of her sleeve.

"I get that you needed to save the egg… but, next time… don't put yourself in danger." Anabel murmured. Her head lowered until the shadows of her bangs covered her red-rimmed eyes. "I don't want to see you get hurt!"

Ash visibly softened, "I'm not going to go looking for trouble… that I can promise you, Anabel. I promise never to go looking for trouble."

Anabel smiled through a sniffle before she nodded. She then turned in the direction of the egg that Ash had hurt himself protecting—that was now being guarded by all Ash's Pokémon—before her eyes glowed a faint white.

XXXXXX

(Mt. Moon—Cave of the Moon Stone)

When those two Pokémon Trainers and their Pokémon had finally gone, the Clefable, Clefairy, and Cleffa were left to wallow in their guilt.

In their single-minded determination to remove that abominable egg from existence, they had severely wounded a Human. To them, that egg needed to be destroyed because of what it had done, it had destroyed their sacred moon stone, but to hurt another Pokémon or a Human—a Human that had helped them—was near unforgiveable.

Guilty, the pink Pokémon lowered their heads to the ground at their actions.

XXXXXX

(Later—The Kanto Region—Route Four)

"C'mon, Anabel!"

It was the day after they had left Mt. Moon and gone onto Route Four that Ash and Anabel caught sight of Cerulean City.

Cerulean City was a seaside city with the majority of its buildings being cylinder-shaped buildings, though there were a few square-shaped apartment complexes and houses here and there. At the northern edge of the town was a harbor full of multicolored boats next to a shining, crystal-clear sea inlet.

Ash ran down the hill that separated Anabel and he from the seaside city. However, even though he was running, he made sure not to jolt the PokéEgg—currently wrapped up by his jacket—too much.

After all, he didn't want to hurt the Pokémon in the PokéEgg, now did he?

"Wait!" Anabel called out before she began to run after Ash with a half-worried, half-mad expression on her face. "I told you that you shouldn't run! You're still hurt!" There was a brief pause. "Ash! Are you even listening to me!

Ash laughed.

Anabel frowned for a moment—incensed—before her lips quirked upwards into a smile. While he would get a scolding later for possibly aggravating his injury, she couldn't stay mad at him now. His good mood was simply contagious.

The two Pokémon Trainers soon came to a stop half-way into Cerulean City, huffing and puffing, before they looked at one another. Both ten year-old children then broke out into smiles.

"Ash?"

Turning at the mention of his name, Ash and Anabel caught sight of a young blonde-haired girl standing only a couple of feet away. She was wearing a light green shirt, white shorts, and a pair of whitish-green sneakers with a dark-green backpack. In this girl's arms was a young Bulbasaur with its head tilted as it looked at Ash and Anabel with a confused expression.

Bulbasaur were quadruped, reptilian creatures that somewhat resembled toads or young dinosaurs, with a spotted blue-green hide. Bulbasaur usually had three claws growing out of each of their four legs, and bright-red eyes. The most notable feature of this Pokémon species was the onion-like bulb on their backs, which was planted there by its mother at birth.

"Willow?" Ash asked, eyes wide with shock.

"Yeah, it's me." The blonde girl—Willow—stated with a small smile. "I'm glad to see you Ash. It's been a while."

"It has." Ash agreed.

Anabel took a step forward, "I don't mean to be rude but, who are you?"

"Oh. I'm Willow Black and this." Willow held up Bulbasaur, "is Bulbasaur. Now," she began kindly. "Who are you?"

"I'm Anabel White." Anabel answered, before she stepped forward and shook Willow's hand and smiled at Bulbasaur. "It's nice to meet you both."

Willow smiled, "It's nice to meet you to, Anabel." She then glanced at Ash out of the corner of her eye. "I see you're traveling with Ash. Have you been able to keep him out of trouble?"

Both Ash and Anabel winced at the same time.

"… Not really…"

"Really?" Willow asked incredulously. She sighed, "Why are you such a trouble-magnet? I mean , there was the in the incident in Viridian City—"

"Viridian City?" Anabel asked.

Willow looked shocked, "Wait, you don't know? Ash hasn't told you?".

"What happened?" Anabel asked.

"Well, according to the papers, Team Rocket was robbing the Pokémon Center in Viridian City. This guy—Jimmy Sanders—held off Team Rocket for a little bit while Ash here," Willow paused to point at a sheepish-looking Ash, "led Nurse Joy to safety."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Except that Jimmy got beaten by Team Rocket before Team Rocket found Ash and Nurse Joy. The papers don't say what happened in there only that Ash held off Team Rocket until it was too late for them."

Anabel turned to Ash with an unreadable expression on her face, "Really? No wonder you knew those three."

"You're not mad?" Ash responded.

Anabel shook her head, "No. Actually, I'm a bit impressed." Seeing Ash's disbelieving expression, she continued. "I mean, Team Rocket is really tough. It's impressive that you could hold them off by yourself."

Ash grinned, shoulders puffing out slightly, and opened his mouth. He never got the chance to respond to Anabel's statement as Willow interrupted him, pointing an accusing, slender hand at the object in Ash's arms.

"Is that a Pokémon Egg?" Willow almost squealed.

Ash visibly deflated; he had wanted to tell—read; brag to—Anabel about what had happened back in Viridian. However, Willow had asked him a question, and he wasn't about to without information from her.

"Yeah… Me and Anabel found it in a cave up on Mt. Moon." Ash mentally debated for a moment about telling Willow how he had gotten it, and settled upon a half-truth. "It was inside this huge rock… though how it got there, I have no idea."

"Could I look at it for a moment?" Willow asked.

"What?"

"Well, I want to be a Pokémon Breeder. I'm not that good at identifying what Pokémon will come from what Pokémon Egg… but, I have a book that will tell me that information." Willow offered.

Ash's eyes widened in slight shock; Willow wanted to be a Pokémon Breeder? Why hadn't she told him about this?

Pokémon Breeders were Pokémon Trainers that were known for monitoring, taking care of, and hatching Poké Eggs alongside Pokémon grooming and Pokémon nutrition.

In the Kanto region alone, there were at least twenty different companies that focused on Pokémon Breeding. The majority of these companies were focused on Poké Eggs and Baby Pokémon, which people had nicknamed "Pokémon Nurseries".

"Okay."

With that, Willow quickly put down Bulbasaur before she carefully took the bundled-up Poké Egg from Ash. She then gently removed Ash's jacket from it—which Ash took—before she began examining it.

In the sunlight, it was easy to see that the egg was only vaguely oval-shaped, more resembling a chunk of red rock than an actual egg. What separated it from being mistaken as an actual rock was the fact that it was slightly translucent, which allowed Willow to see a vague shape inside of it. It also gave off a steady, pulse-like thrum that signified that the Pokémon inside was still alive.

Willow bit her lip, "Hmm…"

Frowning, Willow retrieved a small book from her right shorts-pocket—tilted "Pokémon Breeding: Egg Encyclopedia"—before flipping it open. She then began flipping through the book with her frown growing the more time she took.

It was only a couple minutes later when Willow eventually reached the end of her book before she closed it with a sigh.

"I'm sorry but I couldn't find what Pokémon this little guy is going to be." Willow muttered.

"Really?" Ash asked a bit incredulously.

Willow nodded, "I checked out the entire book but none of the pictures, or descriptions, matched this egg."

All three Pokémon Trainers were quiet for a little bit while they digested this news. The egg wasn't in Willow's book meaning that it wasn't registered by Pokémon Breeders. This could also mean that the Pokémon inside of the egg hadn't been registered either.

"... What does this mean?"

"Well…" Willow bit her lip in thought. "If that egg isn't registered it could mean a lot of things. It could mean that it could be a fossilized egg—which I know it's not—or… it could be the egg of a Pokémon that hasn't been discovered."

Ash looked at the egg in awe, "… A Pokémon that hasn't been discovered yet."

"Not to be rude or anything but…" Anabel trailed off for a moment, looking uncomfortable. "Isn't it possible that you could be mistaken?"

"Well, I suppose I could've… I mean, my book is a couple of years old… Or my book could be a misprint…" Willow murmured quietly. Then, after a few seconds, she sighed. "I guess if you guys want to know what's inside this egg, you'll have to ask a certified Breeder or a Pokémon Professor."

"Maybe. I think I'm just going to wait to see what this little guy is going to be." Ash stated as he rewrapped his jacket around the egg, Willow having given it back to him after she had finished her examination of it.

A wordless growl echoed throughout the area, which caused Willow, Anabel, and Bulbasaur's eyes to widen. They all then turned towards the source of the noise in creepy unison—Ash's stomach—and saw Ash's cheeks were flushed a bright red.

"Sorry…" Ash muttered with a small, sheepish grin. "I guess I'm hungrier than I thought…"

XXXXXX

(Later—Cerulean City—Pokémon Center)

"Welcome to the Cerulean Pokémon Center!" A smiling Nurse Joy greeted after Ash, Anabel, and Willow had come up to the reception desk. "How may I help you?"

"Could you heal our Pokémon please, Nurse Joy?" Ash asked.

Nurse Joy nodded, "I sure can."

The three Pokémon Trainers smiled before each of them took a tray and put their Poké Balls into the metal holes. They then handed over the trays to Nurse Joy before the pink-haired woman directed them towards the lobby.

"Wait! Nurse Joy, do you think you could also look at this egg I found?" Ash asked.

Nurse Joy looked confused for a moment before she spotted the jacket-wrapped egg in Ash's arms. She frowned for a spilt second but it was gone before any of the three Trainers before her could notice.

"Of course I can, honey. Chansey!" Nurse Joy called.

Within a moment, a pink egg-shaped Pokémon waddled its way out into the area. This Pokémon has hair-like outgrowths on the side of its head, stubby limps, and a short tail. The only other thing of note was that this Pokémon had an empty pouch and that it was wearing a nurse's hat.

Ash took out his Pokédex, **"Chansey: The Egg Pokémon. The evolved form of Happiny. Chansey are kind-hearted Pokémon that share their eggs with the sick and injured."**

"Chan-sey Chan." Chansey asked of Nurse Joy.

Nurse Joy pointed towards Ash's egg, "I'll need you to take care of that egg while I heal these three Trainer's Pokémon, Chansey."

Chansey nodded in confirmation before it waddled over to Ash. When she reached him, she ended her stubby arms upwards before she grasped the egg from Ash—removing the jacket—before she stuck it into her pouch.

"Chansey!"

With that, Nurse Joy told the three Trainers that she and Chansey would be back as soon as it was possible. The pink-haired Nurse and her Pokémon then walked off towards a nearby door with a needle above it before opening it and leaving the lobby.

Ash's stomach grumbled loudly, "… Can we go to the cafeteria? I'm starving!"

XXXXXX

(An hour later—Cerulean City—Poké Mart)

Like all other Poké Marts, Cerulean City's Poké Mart consisted of a tiled, white floor with blue walls, lit up by white florescent lights. Scattering the floor, were aisles that were full of colorful mechanize, each aisle being in view of the register.

Ash was currently standing before one of the aforementioned aisles—dedicated to PokéChow—with a half-full cart of merchandise resting next to him. Inside the cart was a package of standard Poké Balls, an Egg Incubator, some basic food supplies for himself, and two sticker sheets.

The reason why he was getting sticker sheets was because of the fact that he had six Pokémon, seven if one counted his unhatched Poké Egg, with more coming in the future. If he didn't start to label his Poké Balls, then he would never be able to know which Poké Ball belonged to what Pokémon.

After a brief moment of though, Ash snatched two medium-sized bags of PokéChow before he put them into his cart. He then looked over what was in his cart before nodding to himself, finding that he had everything, moved over to the waiting clerk by the register.

Once everything had been rung up, the grand total came out to be 2500. Ash winced slightly at the price as he had only 3250 at the moment. However, he knew that he needed the stuff he was buying so he reluctantly handed over his Pokédex.

The clerk pressed a few buttons, waited for a little bit, checked the screen, nodded, and then handed Ash his Pokédex back. "There you are, sir. Have a nice day."

Ash smiled back before he picked up his three plastic bags—which another clerk had just finished putting his stuff into—before he walked out of the store.

"Well, well, well… If it isn't Ashy-boy!"

Ash's eyes widened at the all-too familiar voice, narrowing a few seconds later. He knew who that voice belonged to, and he hated him.

Gary Oak slung an arm over Ash's shoulder, "Been a while since I last saw you Ashy-boy…" He laughed, "I still can't believe that you became Pokémon Trainer! What'cha have to do, beg Gramps for a Pokémon?"

Ash blushed in embarrassment, remembering that he _had_ actually begged Professor Oak. Ash's mortification and anger grew as Gary released him, laughing through his shout of "I knew it!"

"Hey!" Willow shouted as she walked out of the Poké Mart with Bulbasaur and Anabel trotting behind her. She stopped before Gary with a scowl, "Stop picking on Ash, Gary."

"Who's going to make me? Gramps? He's not here so… I don't have to, Wi-Wi." Gary smirked at Willow. He knew how like calling Ash "Ashy-boy" get Ash really mad, calling Willow "Wi-Wi" would annoy her quite a bit

Willow looked ready to hit Gary until Anabel stepped forward, "Who are you to be bullying my friends?"

"Me? I'm Gary Oak, grandson of Professor Oak and Pokémon Master in training!" Gary boasted with a grin. "And why shouldn't I? Ashy-boy had to beg my grandpa for a Pokémon!"

"That's no reason—!" Anabel began.

"I challenge you to a Pokémon Battle, Gary!" Ash announced, interrupting Anabel and surprising the three other Pokémon Trainers. He took a step forward to get into Gary's face. "You think your all-that so why don't you prove it, huh? Unless you're…" Ash balked like a chicken. "too chicken!"

Gary frowned, "You're on!"

XXXXXX

(Cerulean City—Seaside Park)

"I will be the referee for this match!" Willow stated as she stepped forward from the sidelines of Ash and Gary's chosen battlefield. She then looked at both boys. "It will be a three-on-three battle."

Gary smirked, "You ready to lose, Ashy-boy?"

"In your dreams!"

"Trainers, call out your first Pokémon!" Willow ordered.

Both Ash and Gary nodded before each of them reached towards their belts. The two boys then proceeded to draw out one specific Poké Ball each before they threw it up into the air.

"Go, Squirtle!"

Out of Gary's Poké Ball came a small, tailed bipedal Pokémon. It resembled a light blue turtle with its most notable feature being the hard, brown shell on its back.

"Eevee, I choose you!"

Out of Ash's Poké Ball came Eevee who began to look around excitedly. When Eevee spotted her future opponent, she yipped before getting onto her haunches.

"Trainers ready?" Willow asked. When she received confirmation from both Trainers, she raised her hand before slashing it downwards. "Begin!"

Gary smirked, "Let's see how you deal with this, Ashy-boy! Squirtle, use your Water Gun attack!"

Squirtle nodded once before its cheeks bulged before it leapt into the air and opened its mouth. A powerful jet of water was expelled towards Eevee, causing Ash's eyes to narrow.

"Dodge it, Eevee!"

Eevee obliged quite happily. She rushed away from her former position only moments before Squirtle's attack hit where she had been standing. A fair amount of dirt got thrown up by the force of the attack before it fell back as a small puddle of mud.

Squirtle came to the apex of its jump before it quickly descended towards the ground. It then landed in a crouch, twenty feet away from Eevee, looking a bit disappointed.

'_That smug little—!'_ Ash thought with gritted teeth, infuriated. His eyes narrowed, "Let's go, Eevee! Use Scratch!"

Eevee yipped happily before rushing over to where Squirtle was. Her speed had improved since the time in Pewter City, which made the twenty-foot run take no more than ten seconds, tops.

"Squirtle, Withdraw!" Gary ordered.

Just when Eevee was about to scratch at Squirtle's head, the Water-Type Pokémon withdrew all of its limbs back into its brown shell. Eevee's claws raked against Squirtle's shell—leaving a small scratch—before the force behind the attack sent Squirtle flying backwards.

Ash's eyes narrowed, "Don't think that'll work, Gary; I've seen that used too much times in the Pokémon League! Eevee, use Tail-Whip!"

Eevee rushed up towards Squritle's shell before she quickly wrapped her short bushy tail around it. The length of her tail wasn't enough to completely wrap around it, but it was enough to get a good, firm hold on Squirtle's shell.

"What do you me—?" Gary began.

"Ve!"

Eevee lifted her tail, and Squirtle high into the air, before she slammed it into the ground. The force behind the attack was sure to disorient Squirtle, if not at least cause a little ringing in the Water-Type's ears, if it had any.

Gary's eyes widened slightly before they narrowed, "I see what you're doing! But, unfortunately for you, it won't work!" He turned to Squirtle. "Bite!"

Squirtle's head peeked out of its shell before it began to look around it somewhat dizzily. Then, seconds before Eevee slammed it into the ground, it clamped its toothless mouth around Eevee's tail.

Eevee instantly released Squirtle and yowled out in pain, bringing her tail close, eyes watering. However, it was already too late for Squirtle. The momentum behind it had Squirtle slam its shell, and head, against the ground before it bounced away.

Ash and Gary locked eyes.

"Tackle!"

Both Pokémon took a few seconds to process the order in their current states before Eevee uncurled her tail and the remainder of Squirtle's limbs popped out. It was only a few seconds later that both Pokémon rushed at each other.

"Ee-vee!"

"Squir!"

With that, the Pokémon tackled each other at full force, only to knock each other away from each other. Eevee groaned weakly as Squirtle clutched its head with its webbed paws, trying to will the pain to go away.

"C'mon, Eevee. You can do it!" Ash called from his side of the battlefield. Eevee started to get to her feet, swaying slightly. Apparently, that had been some Tackle. "That's it! C'mon!"

Gary gritted his teeth, "Get up! We can't lose to Ash!"

Squirtle groaned before it slowly got up, wobbling as everything around it appeared to be bigger than usual and slightly out of focus. The Water-Type clutched its head again and waited for the spinning to stop.

"Scratch!" Ash ordered.

Eevee began running towards Squirtle, though it was at a slower speed and less with less enthusiasm than she had before.

"Withdraw, Squirtle!" Gary countered. He watched as Squirtle instantly retreated into its shell and how Eevee rushed closer. Wait, now! "Squirtle, Water Gun!"

Out of the holes to Squirtle's shell came out five individual stream of water, catching both Eevee and Ash by surprise. Eevee had no time to dodge and took the attack point-blank, causing her to cry out as she was sent tumbling backwards.

"Eevee!" Ash cried, alarmed.

Eevee's back slammed against a tall rock before she slowly fell down, a trail of water following her. It was obvious by her defeated posture, and the swirls in her eyes, that last attack had forced her into unconscious.

As this happened, Squirtle slowly popped out of its shell. What surprised everyone was the fact that there was a deep laceration across Squirtle's face. It looked like Eevee had gotten Squirtle after all.

* * *

Ash Ketchum's Pokémon Team:

Eevee

Attacks: Tackle (Normal), Scratch (Normal), Tail-Whip (Normal), Helping Hand (Normal), and Growl (Normal).

Pidgeotto

Attacks: Sand Attack (Ground), Tackle (Normal), and Peck (Flying).

Rattata

Attacks: Bite (Dark), Tackle (Normal), and Scratch (Normal).

Beedrill:

Attacks: String-Shot (Bug), Poison-Sting (Poison), Bug-Bite (Bug), and Fury Attack (Normal).

Clefairy:

Attacks: Sing (Normal) and Pound (Normal).

Paras

Attacks: Poison Powder (Poison), Stun Spore (Grass), and Spore (Grass).

Anabel White's Pokémon Team:

Abra

Attacks: Teleport (Psychic), Psyshock (Psychic), and Confusion (Psychic).

Willow Black's Pokémon Team 

Bulbasaur

Attacks: Currently Unknown.

Gary Oak's Pokémon Team:

Squirtle

Attacks: Tackle (Normal), Water Gun (Water), Withdraw (Water), and Bite (Dark).

* * *

**A/N; Author's Note**: Well, that's the end of this chapter. Tell me how you guys liked it in your reviews and messages. And, as always, constructive criticism is welcomed while flames will be ignored and, if deemed offensive enough, deleted.

Before I go, I would like to thank both of my Beta-Readers/Co-Authors for helping me completing this chapter, for it would've taken much, much longer if I had done this myself. So, thank you Hironada and Sharkteeth! I really appreciate all the hard word you guys put into this!


	16. Chapter 16:

Disclaimer: I don't own anything related to Nintendo's Pokémon franchise.

* * *

Legend:

"Someone is talking."

'_Someone is thinking.'_

"**A machine is being used."**

* * *

Chapter Sixteen:

* * *

"The winner of Round One; Gary!" Willow announced. When he heard this statement—and saw Gary's smirk—Ash clenched his hands into fists, fingers biting deep into his gloves, while he grit his teeth. While Ash could somewhat admire Gary's bit of strategy from a Trainer's perspective, from a personal point however, he was ticked off. He was angry at Gary. He was angry at Squirtle for knocking Eevee out. He was angry at himself for not having predicted what Gary was planning.

"C'mon, Ashy-boy!" Gary called from his side of the battlefield. "Withdraw your beaten Pokémon and call out your next one!" Then, under his breath, he said. "Not like it really matters, anyways."

Ash's eyes narrowed with rage, "Eevee, return!" Then, as soon as Eevee had been called back into her Poké Ball, he quickly pulled out another. "Go, Pidgeotto!"

It was after a momentary flash of white light that Pidgeotto landed on the ground before looking around. Seeing Squirtle's injured form across the way—and its Trainer's obviously foul mood—caused it to get ready for battle.

"Round Two…" Willow trailed off for a moment. "… Begin!"

Ash immediately went on the offensive, "Pidgeotto, use Peck!"

Pidgeotto screeched in confirmation before flapping its wings to get aloft. Once high enough, Pidgeotto dive-bombed Squirtle, the wind screaming in its wake.

"Squirtle, dodge it!" Gary ordered.

Obeying, Squirtle quickly jumped to the side, just in time to avoid Pidgeotto's glowing beak. Not deterred, Pidgeotto simply tilted its wing slightly to adjust its course before it circled around until it faced Squirtle. It charged.

"Dodge and then use your Water Gun attack!" Gary demanded.

Squirtle nodded with a faint "Squir" to show that it heard. Then, as Pidgeotto was less than a dozen feet away Squirtle dodged to the side before opening its mouth. Like before, a powerful jet of water was released from Squirtle's mouth, though this time this move appeared to be far less powerful than the first time it was used.

Pidgeotto swerved in the air to avoid Squirtle's Water Gun—on Ash's order—though only just the necessary amount to dodge it. Squirtle had barely finished its attack when Pidgeotto's glowing beak slammed into its stomach, the force of it sending Squirtle hurtling back.

This time, when Squirtle landed, the Water-Type Pokémon didn't get up.

"Squirtle is no longer able to continue!" Willow announced upon checking out and seeing that Squirtle was unconscious. "So, the winner of Round Two is Ash!"

"Pidgeo!" Pidgeotto cheered.

Ash scratched Pidgeotto's head with one hand, "You were awesome, Pidgeotto! Squirtle didn't stand a chance against you!"

"Don't get too cocky Ashy-boy!" Gary yelled, fuming, as he recalled Squirtle. He then fingered a Poké Ball on his belt, hesitated for a moment, before he grabbed it. "This battle is far from over!" He tossed the Poké Ball into the air, "Go, Fearow!"

In a flash of white light, Gary's next Pokémon was revealed.

Fearow was a large, mostly brown Pokémon with a vulturine neck and broad, powerful wings. It had a long, pointed beak that is pink in coloration, and a decorative red coxcomb tops its head. Its intense-looking eyes had very small pupils, and didn't appear to have colored irises. Fearow also had shaggy feathers on the base of its neck and a vaguely cape-like pattern covering the upper portion of its wings. The cape itself was cream in color, as were the tips of its flight feathers. Its sharp-clawed talons were pink, with three toes pointing forward and one pointing backward.

Ash pulled out his Pokédex, "Fearow: the Beak Pokémon. Fearow have the stamina to fly all day on its broad wings. When fighting, it uses its sharp beak to pierce its enemies."

"Fear-ow!

XXXXXX

(Meanwhile—With Anabel and Willow)

When Gary had released his next Pokémon, Anabel had already been on alert. She had sensed his hesitation and slight fear over it, which could've meant a lot of things.

It could've meant that he didn't think his next choice would be good enough to defeat Ash's Pidgeotto or that he was afraid that it could lose against it. It could've meant that Gary was hesitant to use his next Pokémon because of some issue he had with it.

However, when Anabel got a read on Gary and his Fearow after it was released onto the battlefield, she knew why he had been hesitant and fearful. Fearow was a very angry Pokémon and—judging by the way it attacked before Gary had ordered it to—didn't trust Gary to lead it.

'This is very bad.' Anabel thought as she worriedly bit her lip.

"I know." Willow said from five feet in front of Anabel, startling the poor girl. Had she really been thinking out loud? How embarrassing "If Gary can't control his Pokémon…"

There was a pause as neither Willow, nor Anabel, wanted to outright admit what could happen if Gary couldn't control his Pokémon. Especially a very powerful, and aggressive, Pokémon, like Fearow were known to be.

XXXXXX

(Three minutes earlier—Ash vs. Gary)

Before Willow could announce the beginning of Round Three, Gary's Fearow had gone aloft before it flew at Pidgeotto. Its beak was already glowing a bright white.

Ash's eyes widened in alarm, "Pidgeotto, dodge!"

Pidgeotto had only barely gotten into the air when Fearow's beak tore into the spot where Pidgeotto had been standing only moments before. A large amount of debris was sent high into the air. Then, after a mere second's hesitation, the debris fell to the earth, comparable to a meteor shower.

"Hey!" Ash demanded with an angry scowl. "Did you tell your Pokémon to do that, Gary? 'Cause, if you were, that means you cheated!"

"I don't cheat and I didn't tell Fearow to—" Gary seethed.

Gary was interrupted mid-speech when Fearow rocketed out of the good-sized plume of smoke its former attack had caused, eyes focused on Pidgeotto. Fearow shrieked again before its beak began to glow a bright white.

"Not again!" Ash complained before he shouted up towards Pidgeotto, "Dodge it and then use Gust to blow him away!"

Pidgeotto didn't reply. Instead, Pidgeotto quickly swerved out of Fearow's way—infuriating the larger bird—before flying a small distance away. Then, as Fearow turned around, Pidgeotto began to flap its wings rapidly.

This action caused a massive gust of wind to be created, which Pidgeotto then directed towards Fearow. On the ground, Gary ordered Fearow to dodge. Fearow didn't listen; instead, it met the gust of wind with a defiant shriek.

As it struggled through Pidgeotto's gust, multiple cuts began to appear over Fearow's body. Then, when it appeared that Fearow would be able to break free of the attack, Ash ordered his Pokémon to send another Gust at Fearow.

"Pidge-otto!"

With the addition of a second Gust, Fearow was unable to force itself forward and actually began to lose ground. Then, after a couple of seconds, Fearow was forcibly sent backwards, spiraling in its descent.

"Fearow!" Gary exclaimed, alarmed.

After a couple moments, Fearow managed to stop spinning around and right itself. It then turned vengeful, angry eyes towards Pidgeotto before it gave an angry shriek.

Ash's hands clenched into fists, expression twisting in mild annoyance and anger. "I've had enough of you!" He declared, before turning his attention to his own Pokémon. "Let's finish it off with another Gust!"

"Fearow! You need to get away!" Gary demanded urgently. Fearow didn't as much twitch in response, bullheadedly flying into the Gust that Pidgeotto was creating. "C'mon, Fearow; listen to me!"

Like all of the other times before, Fearow's beak once again gained that white glow, signifying that it was preparing to Peck. It then flew headfirst into Pidgeotto's Gust, where it began fighting against the strong winds, gaining ground at an alarming pace. It was less than twenty seconds later when Fearow escaped the winds attacking it, screeching in triumph.

"Fearow!" The bird Pokémon lunged towards Pidgeotto.

"Pidgeotto, use your Tackle attack!" Ash ordered half a second later. He knew that this was going to be the last play, as Pidgeotto looked almost completely drained and Fearow was quite injured. "C'mon, you can do it!"

Pidgeotto nodded dutifully, "Pidgeotto~", before it pulled its wings in and dove towards Fearow, who shrieked challengingly in response. The two bird Pokémon collided over 70 feet in the air, though Fearow was the one to get in the first blow.

The force behind Fearow's attack caused Pidgeotto to cry out as it fell back. However, Fearow wasn't done just quite yet. It followed Pidgeotto—pecking—as the smaller Pokémon used its talons to scratch against Fearow as it fell.

When these two Pokémon hit the ground a small plume of smoke was created. Shielding their eyes, everyone watched as it slowly began to clear, revealing the two Pokémon.

"Double knockout; no winner!" Willow announced after a brief pause. "Therefore we have a tie; one win to Ash and one win to Gary, so—"

"The one who wins the next match wins!" Ash and Gary interrupted, starting at one another across the battlefield, eyes alight.

Without further ado, both Pokémon Trainers recalled their unconscious Pokémon. They then spared a brief glance at one another, trying to think of which Pokémon the other would use next.

Ash was thinking about using Rattata, because of its speed, or Beedrill, because it was pretty powerful and it could fly. He could gain an advantage if he used Beedrill but, what if Gary used a Pokémon that could fly as well?

There was a brief "popping" sound as one of Ash's Pokémon released itself from its Poké Ball. "Cle?" It murmured, causing Ash to look down and see Clefairy holding onto his right leg.

"Clefairy, what—what are you doing?" Ash asked, confused. Clefairy looked up at him with a shy smile, titling her head in a curious fashion. "I'm in the middle of a battle right now, Clefairy. So, I'm afraid I'm going to have to return you—"

"Clefairy, fai C-Clefairy." Clefairy interrupted quietly, tightening her grip as she spoke.

"What? You… you want to fight?" Ash asked, stunned. It didn't seem quite real to him, Clefairy didn't seem like a battler. So, why, why would his shyest Pokémon want to battle? "… Are you sure?"

"Fairy, Cle-fairy." Clefairy nodded.

"Hah!" Gary snorted—instantly drawing Ash's attention—sneering slightly as he looked at Ash's Clefairy, having already called out his own Pokémon. "You think that pink ball of fuzz will be able to beat my Nidoran? I mean, look at it; your Pokémon's trembling."

Ash spared a glance towards Clefairy, only to find what Gary said was actually true; Clefairy was trembling. He however saw, unlike Gary, that oh-so small spark in his Pokémon's eyes. Despite her fear, Clefairy clearly wanted to battle.

Ash grinned, "I'm sure of it, Gary. I KNOW that Clefairy is going to kick your Pokémon's butt!"

"Your Pokémon doesn't stand against mine, Ashy-boy." Gary retorted, before smiling a bit. "But… if you want to give me the win so easily… I won't complain. C'mon, Nidoran… Let's show 'em."

Nidoran was a small quadruped with bluish-white skin, large ears, whiskers, and front teeth. She was covered with small spines, primarily on its back, which added to its rather porcupine-like appearance. The only other thing of note was that this Pokémon was shifting from foot to foot, as if incapable of staying still.

"Alright, it's time for the final match; Round Four!" Willow announced from the sidelines. "When I say "start"… ready… set… start!"

Gary immediately went on the offensive, "Nidoran, use your Poison Sting!"

Nidoran nodded in confirmation, "Nido", before it opened its mouth. As the Poison-type Pokémon released a stream of white darts, Ash quickly ordered Clefairy to dodge. Clefairy dodged to the side just in time to avoid the poisonous barrage.

"Good job, Clefairy!" Ash cheered with a grin, which caused Clefairy to turn around and beam at him shyly, head slightly bowed. "Now, use Sing!"

Clefairy bowed her head. Head still lowered, she opened her mouth before she began to sing, using her energy to send out a stream of multi-colored musical notes towards Nidoran. Gary frowned, all-too familiar with that move.

"Fire another Poison Sting at those notes! You need to destroy them all before they reach you or you're as good as done!" Gary ordered, shouting.

"Ni-do…" Nidoran began before she opened her mouth again, releasing another barrage of poisonous needles as she all-but roared, "RAN!"

Nidoran and Clefairy's attacks met in the middle of the battlefield, resulting in minute explosions as Nidoran's Poison Sting pierced and destroyed Clefairy's Sing. The resulting shockwaves created by these explosions sent both Pokémon flying backwards, Clefairy landing on her side while Nidoran flipped in the air before landing on her feet.

"Clefairy!" Ash called, worried.

"Hah!" Gary sneered, gleeful. "I warned you, Ashy-boy!" Then, turning his attention to his Nidoran. "Why don't you finish that fluff-ball off with a Double-Kick?"

"Nidoran!" Nidoran cried, excitedly, before she rushed forwards Clefairy's downed form. Having heard Nidoran, Clefairy looked up with a pained look on her face, trembling.

"F-Fairy!" Clefairy squeaked out, frightened.

"C'mon, Clefairy! You need to dodge!" Ash shouted concernedly. "Roll over, jump… do whatever you need to so you can dodge! C'mon, Clefairy!"

Clefairy trembled some more—eyes locked on Nidoran's rapidly approaching self—before she shook her head. She then slowly pushed herself to a standing position though it appeared that it was too late; Nidoran was only five feet away.

"Heh!" Gary smirked.

"C'mon, Clefairy!" Ash said imploringly. "Just dodge it! I know you can do it!"

Nidoran jumped into the air, hind legs outwards in preparation for its first kick. It looked as if Nidoran's attack would hit until Clefairy suddenly jumped backwards, her tiny wings glowing white as she floated in mid-air.

"WHAT?" Gary roared as his Nidoran crashed into the ground, getting a face-full of dirt for its troubles. "How is that even possible?"

Already one step ahead, Ash opened his Pokédex before pointing it towards Clefairy. **"Clefairy: The Fairy Pokémon. By storing moonlight into its wings, Clefairy are later able to use that moonlight to float in mid-air." **

"Whoa…" Ash murmured once his Pokédex had stopped. He looked to where Clefairy was floating, a grin quickly blooming on his face. "Clefairy, you're awesome!"

Clefairy ducked her head shyly, trying to hide her head in her fur.

"Just because it can float doesn't your Pokémon will beat mine!" Gary yelled, startling Ash. For a moment there, he had forgotten that he was battling. "Blast it outta the sky with a Poison Sting!"

Nidoran growled in confirmation of her Trainer's orders. The blue Pokémon was very upset, and somewhat dirty from her earlier face-plant. It was very obvious that she intended to pay Clefairy back for the other Pokémon's sudden trick.

"Clefairy, use Sing!" Ash countered quickly before watching as Clefairy dropped to the ground—dodging the first barrage of needles—before releasing a stream of musical notes towards Nidoran. _'I need to think of something else…'_ The two attacks met once more, creating another series of explosions. _'Or we could lose this battle. But, what…?'_

"Nidoran, use Scratch!" Gary ordered.

Nidoran lunged out of the smoke—surprising both Ash and Clefairy—before she rushed towards Clefairy. As she ran, she weaved in and out of Clefairy's Sing, losing some speed but ultimately resisting the attack.

"Clefairy! Dodge it!" Ash shouted out, alarmed.

However, Ash was already too late.

"Fai, Fai, Fai, Fai!" Clefairy cried as Nidoran began scratching her with its claws. Tears streaming down her face, she covered her head with her stubby arms and closed her eyes. "Fairy… fairy…"

Ash's eyes widened, "Clefairy!" When he didn't get a response, he turned blazing eyes towards Gary. "Call it off; you're hurting her!"

"This is a Pokémon Battle Ashy-boy; the only way I'm calling Nidoran off is if you surrender… and admit that I'm the better Pokémon Trainer!" Gary yelled back.

"WHAT?"

"You heard me, loser!" Gary responded, crossing his arms. "Just admit that I'm the better Trainer and I'll call off Nidoran."

Ash gritted his teeth, fingernails digging into his palm and making little white indentations. _'There is no way that I would EVER admit Gary is the better Trainer!' _He though vehemently, seconds before he heard Clefairy cry again. His eyes softened. _'But… I can't stand to see Clefairy suffer like that.'_

"I—" Ash choked out. "Gary, I—"

Ash never got the chance to finish for, at that moment, something truly unexpected happened. Unnoticed to all, Clefairy had been glowing an off-white color since Nidoran had begun attacking her. Now, both of her hands had been covered in a light-purple shroud of pure energy. Noticing this, Nidoran stopped, uncertain of what her opponent was doing.

Clefairy looked up, teary-eyed, and took advantage of Nidoran's sudden hesitation; she threw blow of her fists forwards her tormentor. With a roar so uncharacteristic of her, Clefairy slammed both her fists into the underside of Nidoran's chin. "CLEFAIRY!"

The force of this sudden—unexpected—attack sent Nidoran careening backwards, spittle flying from its mouth. Nidoran crash-landed on the ground, uprooting about an inch of earthen debris as she tumbled backwards. By the time Nidoran stopped tumbling, it was revealed that she was unconscious.

For almost an entire minute, no one spoke or moved, too stunned at the sudden happenings.

"Clefairy!" Ash shouted, breaking out of the sudden stupor to run towards his Pokémon. "Clefairy!" Ash stumbled to a stop before he kneeled and grabbed Clefairy, holding her close. "I'm sorry you got hurt again, Clefairy… but, you really were amazing out there."

Clefairy snuggled deeper into his embrace and smiled, no longer feeling the pain of her newfound wounds. "Clefairy Cle, Clefairy Fairy Cle Fai."

XXXXXX

"The winner of Round Four is Ash! Ash wins!"

Gary scowled as he returned Nidoran to its Poké Ball, shoved the round thing into his right pants pocket, and turned, stomping away. He didn't get too far before Anabel intercepted him, looking completely outraged.

Without warning, she slapped him clear across the face. "You little jerk! How could—how _dare_ you blackmail Ash like that!"

"I already told Ash; it was a Pokémon Battle!" Gary responded angrily. "In a Battle, you do whatever you can to win!"

Anabel's eyes narrowed in rage, "Not if it comes at the expense of unnecessarily BEATING on another Pokémon, like you had Nidoran beat Clefairy! A Pokémon that was curled into the fetal position, crying, as your Pokémon beat her!"

"It's not my fault that fluff-ball was so _weak_! And I told Ashy-boy earlier that his Pokémon had no chance against mine! In fact, if it hadn't used Metronome right then, then I would've won!" Gary retorted.

"Is winning all you care about?" Anabel demanded with a ticked off expression on her face, eyes alight as she stared at Gary. "Is it? You could've seriously hurt Clefairy and all you care about is the fact you would've won?"

Gary was taken back. _'… 'Seriously hurt'?'_

He lowered his head slightly, wondering if that was what he had intended. He shook his head after a moment. Ash was supposed to have given up and admitted he was the better Trainer. He had never meant to hurt Clefairy, outside of what was needed.

Had he?

* * *

Ash's Pokémon Team:

Eevee 

Attacks: Tackle (Normal), Scratch (Normal), Tail-Whip (Normal), Helping Hand (Normal), and Growl (Normal).

Pidgeotto

Attacks: Sand Attack (Ground), Tackle (Normal), Gust (Flying), and Peck (Flying).

Rattata

Attacks: Bite (Dark), Tackle (Normal), and Scratch (Normal).

Beedrill:

Attacks: String-Shot (Bug), Poison-Sting (Poison), Bug-Bite (Bug), and Fury Attack (Normal).

Clefairy:

Attacks: Sing (Normal) , Pound (Normal), and Metronome (Normal).

Paras

Attacks: Poison Powder (Poison), Stun Spore (Grass), and Spore (Grass).

Gary Oak's Pokémon Team:

Squirtle

Attacks: Tackle (Normal), Water Gun (Water), Withdraw (Water), and Bite (Dark).

Fearow

Attacks: Peck (Flying).

Nidoran (Female)

Attacks: Growl (Normal), Scratch (Normal), Double Kick (Fighting), and Poison Sting (Poison).

Anabel's Pokémon Team:

Abra

Attacks: Teleport (Psychic), Psyshock (Psychic), and Confusion (Psychic).

* * *

**A/N: Author's Note: **Well, that's it for this chapter. Tell me what you guys think about it; comments, concerns, and constructive criticism. Also, me and my delightful Co-Author/Beta Sharkteeth will be taking a brief Hiatus as we update A.I.A. and P.E.C. This revision is to make sentences flow better amongst other things.

Also, I'm sorry that it's taken so long for this chapter to come out. I have had to prepare for the stately BioExpo that I am competing in. Wish me luck you guys, cause I'll need it when I'm presenting my project!


	17. Chapter 17:

Disclaimer: I do not, nor have I ever, owned anything related to Nintendo's _Pokémon_ franchise.

* * *

Legend:

"A human or a Pokémon is talking."

'_A human or a Pokémon is thinking.'_

"**A machine is being used."**

* * *

Chapter 17:

* * *

(Kanto—Cerulean City)

It had been two weeks since Ash had challenged Gary to a three-on-three Pokémon Battle and—after almost having given up —watched as Clefairy unveiled a new technique and knocked Gary's Nidoran unconscious.

The next day, Ash had gone down to the beach to train his team after Willow had told him more about Cerulean City's Gym. This Gym specialized in Water-Type Pokémon and had a battlefield designed for them; a large swimming pool with a few floating platforms.

As he hadn't known whether any of his current team could swim or not—and knowing that his team had never fought an aquatic Pokémon before—it would've been very bad for him to have challenged the Gym. The match would've probably ended very quickly and have been very embarrassing for him.

So, following Willow and Anabel's advice, Ash had signed his Pokémon up for swimming lessons at the Gym. Costing ¥50 per lesson, this was one of the ways that the Gym gained income aside from the monthly stipend that the Pokémon League. Another way that the Gym had made money was through its aquarium, which anybody could walk through and view for ¥150.

It was during these lessons that Ash had learned something interesting about one of his Pokémon; Rattata was a natural swimmer. While not perfect, Rattata could swim pretty well and had only needed a few tips from Lily—the Gym Leader's sister—to make him a 'great swimmer'.

And, while his Pokémon had swimming lessons in the morning, their evenings were dedicated to learning how to combat aquatic Pokémon. To do this, he had started taking his team to Krabby Beach. In the beginning when his Pokémon didn't know how to swim, it hadn't worked out well. At all. He had learned that it was one thing to see land-based Pokémon fight aquatic Pokémon while they were in the water and another to actually do it. He had learned that it was very hard for his Pokémon to hit them when they could duck underneath the surface of the water or swim away. If deep enough in it, the water also allowed the Pokémon to hide from sight of enemies.

While he hadn't known it at the time, Ash had already taken the first step to solving these problems by signing his team up for swimming lessons. As the days progressed and his team grew more adept in the skill, it had been easier to send them in and swim after and battle the aquatic Pokémon.

Then, in the evening on his sixth day at Krabby Beach, there had been a minor 'accident'. Ash had been training with Rattata against a rather tuff little Magikarp when the Magikarp decided it had had enough and tried to flee. Having temporarily forgotten that Rattata was in the water, Ash had ordered Rattata to use Quick Attack and chase after Magikarp.

Magikarp was a reddish-orange, medium-sized fish. Its notable characteristics included large, heavy scales and white fins. Magikarp had two stiff, three-peaked fins on its back and stomach that were both yellow. It also had long barbels.

It was then that the 'accident' happened.

XXXXXX

While in mid-air, Rattata's body developed a white glow before he went under the water. Surging through the water, a 'shell' of water formed around Rattata while a 'tail' of white light formed behind him. Like a torpedo, Rattata quickly cut off Magikarp by slamming into its side as he travelled upwards, sending the fish flying out of the water.

"Magi, magikarp..." Magikarp panted out as it floundered about on the warm sands. It was confused as to how it had gotten there, as all it could remember was swimming away from that other Pokémon, a flash of purple, and then a little bit of pain in its side. Then it was on the sand with a small puddle of water around it. "Karp Magikarp Karp."

Ash could only stare as Rattata lunged out of the water before landing a few feet away from Magikarp. Had what he'd just seen actually happened? How—How was that even possible? He had never heard of, or seen, a Pokémon using Quick Attack doing what Rattata had just done. So, how did Rattata do it?

"Karp, Magi magi Karp."

Hearing this, Ash refocused on what was happening and saw that the Magikarp was floundering its way towards the water. He could wait until he beat it to wonder what Rattata had just done. Right now, they had a battle to win. "Rattata, use Bite!"

Rattata chittered in agreement before he rushed forward. It was only a few seconds later that he Bit into Magikarp's hard, protective scales and winced in minor discomfort. Releasing the fish, he reared his head back and Bit it again, earning a harsh exclamation from the fish. "Karp!"

"Good job, Rattata!" Ash said from the sidelines. "Now, finish it off with a Hyper Fang!"

Unable to respond verbally, Rattata instead nodded briefly. In the next second Magikarp's back fin came to slap him in the face—the fish trying to dislodge him—which actually worked. The force of the sudden blow sent him tumbling backwards over the sand until he finally came to a stop 10 feet away. Now free of his jaws, the Magikarp began to use Splash to bounce itself closer and closer to the water.

Now covered in sand due to his wet fur and angry, Rattata forced himself to his feet. He quickly spotted the fish bouncing closer to the water before his eyes narrowed. With the encouragement of his Trainer, Rattata's front teeth began to glow bright white before he began running. He would show that little fish the mistake it had just made!

"Tatta Rattata!"

Hearing this cry, Magikarp turned around in mid-hop and saw Rattata approaching it. Its eyes narrowed as it fell down, already bringing its back fin to hit the other Pokémon away like it had the first time.

It was only a couple of seconds later when Rattata got within five feet of Magikarp before he jumped into the air. Magikarp attempted to bring down its fin against him, only for it to miss Rattata completely. In the next moment, Rattata's glowing teeth clamped down hard against Magikarp, causing it to exclaim in pain once more.

The two Pokémon hit the ground with a thud, the impact displacing the nearby sand. When it settled, it revealed Rattata standing a foot away from Magikarp. The fish Pokémon had was unconscious with a few bite marks but nothing a bottle of Potion couldn't cure.

That was a good thing as Ash had found out some 'laws' about aquatic Pokémon. The northern sea inlet that Krabby Beach—and other beaches—surrounded had a limited amount of aquatic Pokémon inside of it.

While Pokémon Trainers were free to train their Pokémon and catch Pokémon that found in the inlet, they had to be careful about what they caught. If they didn't, the inlet would become overfished and upset the natural ecosystem of it.

To prevent this, Cerulean City had a team that was always monitoring the inlet, keeping track of everything within it. This team was responsible for knowing the number of Pokémon inside it—including the number of a specific Pokémon species—and to continuously report their findings. These findings would be given to the many newspaper and magazine companies in Cerulean, which would then include information on what Pokémon Trainers could catch.

If any Pokémon Trainer was found to have caught what was _not_ on the list during the period in which that list was sent out, they would receive a heavy fine and instructions to release the Pokémon back into its natural habitat. If the Trainer didn't pay the fine or ignored the law, then that Trainer could face criminal charges and, rarely, jail time.

While Magikarp were on the list of which Pokémon _could_ be caught—because there was an abundance of the hard-scaled fish—Ash didn't want to take any chances. So, after recalling Rattata back to his Poké Ball, Ash removed a bottle of Potion from his backpack and walked over to the Magikarp. Uncapping the bottle, he began to spray over the Magikarp's wounds and waited until they healed before he capped the bottle and put it away.

Ash then bent down before he picked up Magikarp, grimacing from the heavy weight. Not knowing how long he would be able to carry the fish, he trudged towards the water as fast as he could. Once there, he placed Magikarp into the water before he began to pant, hands on his knees.

Boy was that thing heavy!

"Are you done yet, Ash?" Hearing this, Ash slowly turned his head around to see Anabel standing 50 feet away from him with a plastic bag held in her right hand. Even though it was partially concealed by the bag, he could see that one of the items in the bag was a bag of PokéChow. She must've run out of her previous bag or decided to stock up because of that Pokémon she had caught yesterday.

Ash nodded, "Yeah... Just give me a minute..." A couple of moments passed before he straightened up and jogged back to get his backpack. Eevee—who had been resting near his backpack after her earlier training—looked up when she heard him approach. "C'mon, Eevee." He then leaned down to allow her to climb onto his shoulder, picked up his backpack and egg container, before he made his way over to Anabel.

"Are you aware of what time it is?" Anabel asked with a faint smile. She didn't seem to need a response before she began talking again, having probably sensed his uncertainty. "It's almost 2:00 and—" Ash's stomach began growling. She spared Ash a look while his cheeks reddened. "You haven't eaten yet, have you?"

"... I guess I forgot... but, Anabel, you've got to listen! Rattata did something really cool!" Ash began.

Anabel placed a hand on Ash's unoccupied shoulder, "You can tell me what Rattata did when I've gotten some food into you." Her unusually stern expression stopped Ash's protest before it could begin. "It's not good for you to miss meals..."

XXXXXX

(Cerulean City—Joe's Shellder Hut)

Ten minutes later saw Ash, Eevee, and Anabel in line at Joe's Shellder Hut, a rather non-expensive restaurant that was said to have 'the best' clam chowder. While they could have just gotten lunch in the Pokémon Center's cafeteria, they had wanted to explore and get a taste at what the food in Cerulean City was like.

The restaurant itself had a white ceiling, light-purple wallpaper, and light-purple tiles on the floor. It was divided into three sections; the dining room, the service counter, and the kitchen. The dining room possessed five rows of tables, a couple of booths, and a couple of waste bins near the door. The service counter was a long silver counter that had the register, cups, silverware, trays, and the condiments. Behind the service counter was a small, long window that showed some employees working.

"What can I get you, miss?"

Standing in front of Ash and Anabel was a woman with long, strawberry blonde hair that parted into a strand that hung above her teal-colored eyes. She was wearing a white, one-piece swimsuit with blue trim, light-blue sandals, and a thigh-length light-blue jacket with dark-blue cuffs. "I'll take a medium-sized bowl of Clam Chowder and... one order of Fish 'N Chips."

"Alright, miss." The purple-garbed cashier nodded, punching in the woman's order before he looked up. "That'll be ¥80."

The woman nodded before she reached into her pocket and retrieved her wallet before taking out the necessary money. Handing it over to the cashier, she took the offered receipt before she walked over to a nearby booth. There was a faint 'ding' as the cashier put the money into the register before he looked up.

"Next!"

With that, Ash and Anabel approached the counter, having already selected what they were getting while they had been waiting. Anabel ordered a medium-sized bowl of Clam Chowder, a fountain drink, and Oysters 'N Chips for ¥85. Ash, on the other hand, ordered a large-sized bowl of Clam Chowder, Clams 'N Chips, and a fountain drink, so his total came up to be around ¥90.

Once they had put in their orders and gotten their receipts and cups, both Trainers then walked over the pop machine and got something to drink; Ash got some Root Beer while Anabel choose to get some pink lemonade.

After that, both Trainers went over to an unoccupied table and sat down. While they were waiting for their meals, Ash began to tell Anabel about what happened with Rattata at Krabby Beach. At the end of the tale, Anabel was intrigued, having never heard of such an application of Quick Attack before. She wondered why no one ever thought about using it like that since it seemed simple to figure out.

"Here you are—" The purple-wearing cashier stated as he slid a tray of food onto Ash and Anabel's table. "Two Clam Chowders, one order of Oysters 'N Chips, and one order of Clam 'N Chips. Plus some crackers..." He paused. "Do you need anything else?"

"No, we're fine."

The cashier nodded before he walked back over to his counter. As soon as he turned his back, though, Eevee jumped onto the table before she snagged some french fries from Ash's order of Clam 'N Chips. Seeing this, Ash frowned and said 'Hey!', but was unable to stop Eevee before she ate them. He sighed as Eevee went for more french fries with stars in her eyes. "... Oh, great..."

"Don't look so down, Ash" Anabel replied before she looked out the window, "I'm sure she'll leave you _some_ fries..."

Ash grumbled for a bit before he sighed and pulled his bowl of Clam Chowder towards him. With the way Eevee was chowing down on his fries, he would probably lose one of his fingers if he attempted to get some clams. The little glutton.

XXXXXX

It was a short time later when the woman that had stood before him and Anabel in line finished with her meal and disposed of her trash. Walking towards the exit, she paused when she saw Ash and Eevee, and stopped in her tracks. Turning to him, she said. "I saw you at the beach—Krabby Beach?—today. You had a Rattata?"

"Yeah, I do." Ash replied, feeling a bit apprehensive over the woman. Even if she had seen him training at the beach earlier, why would she take the time to talk to him now? Hm. Had she seen Rattata's trick in the water?

"That was a really nice move you pulled off." The woman said, smiling. "I never would've thought that a Quick Attack would produce such effects when a Pokémon is underwater..." She trailed off for a few moments before snapping back to reality. "Anyhow, I saw you and wanted you to know what a cool trick you had there..." She turned, hiding the smirk that had appeared on her face. "It'll be interesting to see how you use that in the Gym..."

With that, the woman left the restaurant before either Ash or Anabel to question just what she meant. From her words, it could be assumed that the woman wanted to watch Ash's battle against the Cerulean Gym. To do that, the woman would have to be at the Gym all the time, or she could miss his upcoming battle. That thought led to them thinking about whether the woman worked at the Gym or not.

Ash hadn't seen her around the Gym when he went in for his team's swimming lessons, though the woman could work somewhere else in the Gym. There did seem like there was a lot of stuff involved in running and maintaining the Gym after all. _'Maybe she's the Gym Leader?'_

XXXXXX

To Ash, the days after 'the accident' passed by in a blur. He continued to train his Pokémon at Krabby Beach and tried to have his other Pokémon use Rattata's newfound trick. He had discovered that they could recreate it, though to a lesser degree as they weren't as fast nor as good a swimmer as Rattata was.

While he had developed a strategy based around Rattata's trick, he had also come up with some other strategies in case his first one didn't work out. If he didn't need them, then that was okay, but it made him feel better to have another strategy, just in case.

At the moment, one would find Ash heading towards the Cerulean Gym with Anabel and Willow following behind him. Today was the day that he would challenge the Gym and—hopefully—gain his second badge. If not, well, he could always try again.

It was only a couple of minutes later when the familiar visage of Cerulean City's Gym came into view. The Gym itself was a dome-shaped building with a gigantic painting of a Dewgong swimming. Unlike the Dewgong, the water it was swimming on stretched around the base of the red and yellow-stripped roof. The roof was held up by a series of thin white columns that circled the bottom of it along the wraparound porch. Behind these columns were the tan exterior walls of the Gym which were interspaced with a few sliding-glass doors and windows.

Walking up the small staircase that led to the main entrance of Gym, Ash, Anabel, and Willow entered the Gym. Once inside, they met with Aurora Stone—a brown-haired woman that acted as the secretary for the Gym. "Why hello there, Ash. You're here early."

"I didn't come for swimming lessons today, Ms. Stone." Ash said before he answered Ms. Stone's unasked question. "I'm here to challenge the Gym Leader!"

Ms. Stone nodded, "I see..." She then walked out from behind her desk before she motioned for the three Trainers to follow her. "Do you think you're ready to face her? I mean, your Pokémon have only had swimming lessons for a couple of weeks..." Pausing, she heard Ash say that 'he was ready' before she spoke again. "I sure hope so, Ash."

With that, Ms. Stone opened the opened the door that was in front of her. Inside one could see a massive pool with a few floating platforms scattered within the water. On each side of the pool—as well as near the middle of the pool—were raised platforms. Obviously, those platforms were where the challenger of the Gym, the referee, as well as the Gym Leader would stand.

Speaking of the Gym Leader, she was already there, sitting on top of her platform. Ash and Anabel's eyes widened at the familiar figure; it was the woman from Joe's Shellder Hut! It was only just after the two Trainers had come to this realization that Ms. Stone waved her right arm towards the woman. "Please, let me have the pleasure of introducing you to the Gym Leader of Cerulean City's Gym; Misty!"

Hearing her name, the woman—Misty—looked down at them from her perch before a small smile appeared on her face. "I remember you guys..." As she stood up, she reached into her right pocket before she drew out a Poké Ball. "You're the one with the Rattata, right?" Receiving a nod, Misty's smile grew. "... Well, what are you waiting for? Get up here so we can battle!"

"Do your best, Ash." Anabel murmurred to herself as she watched Ash ascend the steps of the platform. "If you do... I know you can win."

Willow smiled. "I don't doubt that Ash will win; he's to stubborn not too."

Now standing on his platform, Ash took a deep breath before he snapped his head up in Misty's direction. He unclipped his first Poké Ball from his belt and then threw it up into the air. There came a flash of white light before Rattata materialized on one of the floating platforms. "Rattata!"

"So you're going to use your Rattata first? I should've expected that, considering the trick you are able to do with it..." Misty stated before she tossed her own Poké Ball into the air and released her own Pokémon.

The Pokémon in question greatly resembled a seal with a white horn of its head. It had body that appearedwhite, two flippers instead of feet, a tan-colored muzzle with a small black nose, small tusks, round eyes, and a tongue that hung outside of its mouth. Its tail resembled a spout of water. "Seel! Sel Seel!"

**"Seel: The Sea Lion Pokémon. Seel can usually be found living on icebergs in the artic. When swimming, Seel uses the horn on their foreheads to break through almost anything that comes into their paths."** Ash's Pokédex informed.

_'... That must be some horn it has...'_ Ash thought, frowning. _'I need to keep Rattata away from it as much as I can... otherwise, Rattata won't last that long...' _

"Are you ready, Ash?" Ms. Stone asked from her place on the referee's platform. Recieving a nod, Ms. Stone then glanced at both Ash and Misty before she said. "Alright, the first match: Ash's Rattata vs. Misty's Seel! Begin!"

* * *

Ash's Pokémon Team:

Eevee (Female): Level 19.

Attacks: Tackle (Normal), Scratch (Normal), Tail-Whip (Normal), Helping Hand (Normal), and Growl (Normal).

Pidgeotto (Male): Level 17.

Attacks: Sand Attack (Ground), Tackle (Normal), Gust (Flying), and Peck (Flying).

Rattata (Male): Level 16.

Attacks: Bite (Dark), Tackle (Normal), Quick Attack (Normal), Hyper Fang (Normal), and Scratch (Normal).

Beedrill (Male): Level 17.

Attacks: String-Shot (Bug), Poison-Sting (Poison), Bug-Bite (Bug), and Fury Attack (Normal).

Clefairy (Female): Level 13.

Attacks: Sing (Normal), Pound (Normal), and Metronome (Normal).

Paras (Male): Level 15.

Attacks: PoisonPowder (Poison), Stun Spore (Grass), Sleep Powder (Grass), and Spore (Grass).

Misty's Pokémon Team:

Seel (Female): Level 22.

Attacks: Unknown.

Anabel's Pokémon Team:

Abra (Male): Level 20.

Attacks: Teleport (Psychic), Psyshock (Psychic), and Confusion (Psychic).

? Unknown:

Attacks: Unknown.

Willow's Pokémon Team:

Bulbasaur (Female): Level 16.

Attacks: Unknown.

* * *

**A/N: Author's Note:** Well, that's the end of this chapter. Tell me what you guys think in your reviews and messages: comments, concerns, and all that drama. Flames will be ignored.

In other news, I had a wonderful time at the Bio Expo and got this awesome participation certificate and t-shirt. The people there had such awesome projects, and I was happy to be apart of them. Wish I could go next year.

* * *

Hey everyone, a lot of stories and authors are being taken off the site so if you want to help stop this please add your name to the email below and send it off to the system operators.

Chash123 signing off.

* * *

Greetings to the fine folk that moderate our site.

I, along with many, have been writing and posting on your fine site for years now, some of the better examples of up and coming writers out there are now suddenly finding some of the stories we've come to love at risk of being removed without the chance to even rectify our errors.

For some, that means the permanent loss of a story. While I don't have anything that (I believe) violates your terms of use, there are those out there that are never able to recover a story in its original form, this is something I find to be almost worthy of a legal action, as while we cannot claim ownership of a character, the stories are OURS and simply destroying them is something that is inexcusable.

It's quite easy to simply add an MA rating, additional filters or even a simple requirement for a free membership to read the stories presented here, and would cut down on hateful anonymous reviews and posts at the same time, so I have to question as to why such a thing, in all this time, simply wasn't added.

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Yin7


	18. Chapter 18:

Disclaimer: I do not, nor have I ever, owned anything related to Nintendo's _Pokémon_ franchise.

* * *

Legend:

"A human or a Pokémon is talking."

'_A human or a Pokémon is thinking.'_

"**A machine is being used."**

* * *

Chapter 18:

* * *

(Cerulean City—Gym—Pool Room #1)

As soon as Ms. Stone had announced the start of the match, Misty had Seel start off by attacking with a Water Sport. Seel barked out its compliance before an orb of water quickly began to form in front of its open maw. It took less than five seconds to complete, surprising both Ash and Rattata, before Seel fired its attack towards Rattata.

"Rattata—dodge it!" Ash didn't know what Water Sport _did_ exactly but he wasn't going to allow Rattata to pay the price so he could find out. Rattata complied by jumping three feet to the left, causing Seel's Water Sport to crash into the spot Rattata had been before the orb exploded, sending water sloshing into all directions. "Okay... Now use your 'Quick Swim'!"

Rattata chittered in response before diving into the water as a white glow surrounded his body. Misty tilted her head slightly, "... 'Quick Swim'? Is that the name of your Pokémon's new move?" She got her answer when Rattata torpedoed out of the water towards Seel. "Seel, use Headbutt!"

"Eel!" Seel said as she reared her head backwards.

It was only a second later when the two Pokémon collided; Seel slamming her head into Rattata's back as Rattata's head collided with her chest. The force of the blows sent Rattata crashing into the platform while Seel tumbled back. A moment later, both Pokémon stood back up, with Rattata eyeing Seel warily.

"Not bad." Misty admitted with a small smile. "If that wasn't Seel, that attack would've forced my other Pokémon back _at least_ ten feet... and maybe knocked out a Wild Pokémon." Ash smiled at the obvious bit of praise. "However, you're Rattata _is_ facing my Seel, so this won't be that easy for you. Seel—Icy Wind!"

Unlike Water Sport, Ash knew exactly what Icy Wind did, having seen it multiple times on television. "Rattata, dodge with Quick Attack!"

Seel opened her mouth and released a powerful, chilling wind towards Rattata. Rattata, however, had already raced away with Quick Attack, forcing Seel to continue her attack as she turned around. Soon enough, a thin sheet of ice had been created. This, in turn, caused Rattata to skid on the now-slippery surface before he fell back into the water. "After it, Seel!"

With a nod, Seel complied and dragged herself to the edge of the platform before diving in. It was a second later when Rattata's head breached the surface of the water and he looked around. Ash quickly ordered for Rattata to dodge with Quick Swim, while Misty ordered Seel to attack with another Headbutt.

Underneath Rattata, Seel's horn glinted before she quickly swam upwards to obey her Trainer's orders. Rattata, however, used Quick Swim at the last second, leaving Seel's horn to merely leave a small gash in Rattata's side.

"Now, swim around Seel as fast as you can!" Ash ordered hurriedly.

Misty frowned, _'What is he going for with that. Wait, I know what he's doing!' _She clutched the railing tightly, "Get out of there, Seel! He's trying to create a Whirlpool!"

However, despite her intentions, Misty's warnings came a tad too late. The water had already begun to swirl around and underneath Seel as Rattata continued to spin underneath the water. Soon enough, the makeshift Whirlpool had completely formed, sucking in Seel who was trying her hardest to swim out of it.

"... That was clever of you, Ash, but... we're not done just yet!" Misty announced with a small scowl. To get out of that Whirlpool, she would have to have Seel freeze it, which would be detrimental to her success against Ash if Seel was to be taken out. "Seel, freeze the Whirlpool with Icy Wind!"

Hearing this, Ash blinked in mild surprise and confusion. _'She can freeze a Whirlpool?'_

Apparently, she—Seel—could. This realization came about just about Seel took in a deep breath before she began to release another Icy Wind. When the cold wind hit the swirling waters of the Whirlpool, the water slowed down slightly before it began to freeze. This allowed Seel more maneuverability which she used to turn around and continue to freeze the water around her. Soon enough, all was left of Rattata's Whirlpool was a frozen cone with a smaller cone of water inside of it.

Rattata's head then breached the surface 10 feet away from this 'cone', where he began to take in several deep breaths. He was kind of relieved that Seel had done that, as he knew he wouldn't have been able to hold his breath any longer. He was also thankful because Seel had now provided some more land that he and his Trainer would use.

"Rattata, get on the ice and prepare yourself." Ash ordered as he watched the barely-visible form of Seel that was visible through the ice. _'Sooner or later, Misty will have to have Seel swim upwards and drag itself out of the water. Because, as Seel is, it's a sitting duck while in there.'_

Misty smiled slightly, _'Nice strategy, Ash... but I think you've forgotten what your Pokédex said about Seel.' _Then, without wasting a single moment, Misty ordered Seel to use her horn to break the ice and make a hole wide enough for her to swim out of.

"What in the..." Ash wondered before he remembered his Pokédex's entry on Seel. "How could I have forgotten that?" He looked down towards the battlefield and heard the ice begin to crack as Seel began to chip away at the ice, which then floated up to the top of the water inside of the cone. "Rattata, dive in and use Quick Swim!"

Rattata obliged and dove into the water inside the 'ice cone' with a splash. Ash and Misty held their breaths as they waited for what would happen next. After a moment, Rattata climbed out of the water and back onto the ice, looking confused.

Misty smirked seconds before she spotted Seel emerging from the water just out of Ash and Rattata's sight. So, Seel had managed to make a hole and escape before Rattata had found her, huh? It was strange as she thought that Rattata would've seen the hole but she wasn't going to complain about that. Just use it to her advantage.

"Seel, use Ice Shard!"

"What—" Ash demanded as Seel opened her mouth again. He and Rattata began looking around for Seel, though to no effect. "Where in the world—" He stopped mid-sentence as he caught a flash of white fur just behind the bend of the 'ice cone' before Seel came into view. "Rattata, dodge it!"

"Seel!" Seel cried as she unleashed a barrage of thin, six-inch ice needles from her mouth and towards Rattata. Rattata, unlike Ash, hadn't spotted Seel yet which made dodging impossible as he simply didn't know where the attack was coming from.

This led to Rattata receiving the full-force of Seel's attack; the ice shards raked against Rattata's skin and fur, leaving thin gashes that oozed small amount of blood. Rattata chittered painfully as he was slowly pushed back before, slipping, Rattata fell into the water.

"Rattata!" Ash called out, concerned.

"Nice job, Seel." Misty congratulated with a grin before she said, "Now, finish off Rattata with a Headbutt!"

Rattata's head emerged from the surface of the water just as Seel dived underneath it. Knowing the danger his Pokémon was in, Ash quickly ordered for Rattata to use Quick Swim. Fortunately for him, Rattata obeyed and dived back underneath the water. There, a white glow surrounded Rattata's body before he began to look around for Seel, looking like a miniature torpedo as he swam.

Ash and Misty could only watch as both Pokémon spotted each other underwater. Following this, both Pokémon began swimming at each other as fast as they could, on a collision course with each other. There was a moment of silence before both Pokémon collided with one another, sending a massive amount of water flying up into the air.

After shielding their eyes from the sudden spray, Ash and Misty—both wet—hesitantly lowered their arms and looked down towards the battlefield. The water from Rattata and Seel's collision was trickling back into the pool from where it lay over the floating platforms and ice cone. However, that was not the thing that drew their attention the most.

"Double Knockout!" Ms. Stone announced as Ash and Misty viewed the unconscious bodies of their Pokémon floating on the top of the water, swirls in their eyes. Besides the wounds that Seel had formerly inflicted on him, Rattata now was missing a good deal of fur near his chest, where a good-sized gash lay. Seel had gained an angry red mark near the base of her head, just above her neck. "No winner!"

A sigh escaped Ash's lips before they stretched into a thin smile, "You did great, Rattata." He pulled out Rattata's Poké Ball and aimed it at Rattata milliseconds before he clicked the small silver button. A thin red beam shot out from the Poké Ball and hit Rattata before drawing the Pokémon into it. "Take a good, long rest."

"Your Rattata did pretty good." Misty admitted after she had recalled her own Pokémon, not looking the least put out. "It was certainly impressive the way it was able to create a makeshift Whirlpool with its 'Quick Swim'... You must have trained him well.

She paused to draw out her next Poké Ball. "So, let's see if you've trained your other Pokémon as well as you trained that Rattata, shall we?" She drew back her arm and threw the Poké Ball towards a platform on the water. "I choose you, Staryu!"

Staryu was a golden-brown Pokémon with a body that was shaped like a star. Between its five appendages, at the very center of its body, was an exterior organ called the core that resembled a red jewel. Holding the core in place was a golden piece while a golden ring was lopped around its left leg, holding the core in place.

**"Staryu: The Star Shape Pokémon. Staryu can be found at the very bottom of the ocean's floor, the water in caves, and rivers that lead to the ocean. A Staryu's body is torn, it can grow back as long as the red core remains."** Ash's Pokédex supplied.

"Now that you've checked out my Pokémon, could you send out yours?" Misty asked, a little irritated. She was pumped up for the next battle and here Ash was, wasting time to get only somewhat useful information. She wanted to battle, damnit!

Ash winced at Misty's tone, "... Sorry." He then turned towards Eevee, "You ready, girl?" Eevee nodded with an excited yip, to which Ash grinned before he directed her to go down towards one of the platforms on the battlefield.

XXXXXX

"Alright..." Ms. Stone announced once Eevee had gotten into position. "The second match: Ash's Eevee vs. Misty's Staryu. Begin!"

Unlike last time, Ash wasn't going to allow Misty to make the first move. He and Eevee were going on the offensive. "Eevee—kick that water into the air with a Sand Attack!" Once Eevee did that, Misty's vision would be obscured and Eevee would have the chance to attack Staryu.

"Staryu, use your Water Gun!"

"Ve Ee, Ee-V-E!" Eevee yipped as she turned around so her back faced Staryu before she began kicking out with her hind-legs. This caused the water that was left on the platform to be kicked up into the air seconds before it fell down towards the ground like rain.

Staryu quickly jumped back from the sudden downpour—thinking it some kind of attack—and then released a jet of water towards Eevee from the uppermost of its appendages. Once Eevee had been hit with the attack, the force of it pushed Eevee forward and into the pool with a splash.

"Now, Staryu, follow it in and use Rapid Spin!" Misty ordered.

Well, that certainly put a stopper into Ash's plans. "Eevee, use Tail Whip!"

Staryu's uppermost appendence bent over in a semblance of a nod before it jumped into the water. Once in the water, Staryu began to rotate around in place like a saw blade, with its five appendages blurring into a single cutting edge. With a 'Hyah', it spun towards Eevee.

Having heard her Trainer's order, and seeing Staryu rapidly closing in on her, Eevee quickly spun around and whipped her tail towards Staryu. Staryu collided with the tail not a second later, where it began to cut into Eevee's tail as it slowly slowed down. Eevee whined, "Ve Eve, Ee-V-E!"

"Now, kick out with your feet!" Ash ordered.

Not wanting Staryu to continue tearing into her tail, Eevee complied; quickly raising one of her hind-legs before she kicked Staryu. The blow impacted just underneath Staryu's core, knocking Staryu into the air for a couple of seconds, until Staryu crashed back into the water.

"Staryu!" Misty called out with a slightly worried expression on her face. That expression faded when Staryu swam to the top of the pool, looking relatively undamaged except for the growing bruise next to its core. She sighed in relief before refocusing on the battle. "That was clever; stopping Staryu's rapid spin like that. It provided you the chance to hold it off and attack..." She grinned at Ash. "Nice job."

"Thanks." Ash responded with a grin of his own.

"You've surprised me a couple of times so far... so I think it's time I got serious and return the favor, don't you?" Misty asked with a mischievous expression on her face. Then, before Ash could say anything, she turned her attention to Staryu. "Use _Camouflage_."

"Hyah!"

Both Ash and Eevee watched in stunned fascination as Staryu's body began to lose its color as slowly became more and more transparent. By the time Ash was able to snap out of it—a small voice yelling inside his head and telling him that what was going on was very, very bad for his chance at success—Staryu had disappeared completely.

"Ve?" Eevee asked, tilting her head confusedly.

"Now, let's try this again, shall we?" Misty asked. "Staryu; Harden and then use Rapid Spin!"

It was seconds before Ash yelled for Eevee to get out of the water that Staryu struck. The invisible Pokémon hit Eevee from behind, cutting into the area right above Eevee's right hind-leg. However, before Ash could order Eevee to counterattack, Staryu seemingly backed off. Two seconds passed before Staryu attacked once again, cutting into Eevee's front with its Rapid Spin.

XXXXXX

(With Willow—On the sidelines)

Willow frowned in mild concern as she watched her childhood friend continue his battle. _'Her strategy is _killing_ Ash...'_ She thought as she watched the Camouflaged Staryu tear into Eevee, back off, and then attack from another direction. Because of this, Eevee was effectively pinned and it would be only a matter of time before the amount of her injuries knocked her out. _'And, if that happens, then Ash will...'_

"He'll lose if this keeps up." .

Willow turned around slightly to the speaker, Anabel White and felt a brief pang of anger at her. She knew that Ash was losing at this point but it offended her to see that Ash's new friend didn't have confidence in him. She was about to speak up and voice her objection to Anabel's statement, but the other girl interrupted her before she could get out one word.

"I don't mean to offend you, but it's the truth." Anabel said with a soft shake of her head, before she pointed towards the battlefield. "With Staryu using Camouflage, Misty has the advantage. She has solidified that advantage by having Staryu use Rapid Spin to injure Eevee, back off, and attack again... pinning Eevee to that spot. The only way for Ash to win is to get out of there and find a way to detect Staryu..."

Willow frowned, "Then why haven't you told Ash? You seem to know how he could do it..."

"If I told Ash now, it would be like me telling him I don't believe in him as a good Pokémon Trainer." Anabel said with a brief look at Willow, surprising the other girl with her words. "By telling him, I 'tell' him I don't believe he can do it by himself and that he needs people to help him..." She looked back at Ash. "I believe he can do it by himself if he tries hard enough so I'm keeping my silence."

After mulling over Anabel's words for a little bit, Willow came to realize that Anabel was correct. If she or Anabel told Ash how to find Staryu or what he should do, then it _would_ be like telling him that he needed their help. And if she did that, she would damage her friendship with him. No, the best thing to do was keep quiet right now.

XXXXXX

(Ash and Eevee vs. Misty and Staryu)

At the moment, Ash was at the point of almost pulling his hair out. With that Camouflage ability, neither he or Eevee were able to see where Staryu was before it attacked. What made it worse was the fact that Staryu appeared to be circling around Eevee and would attack her randomly, leaving no pattern for him to detect.

_'Come on Ash, think!'_ Ash clenched the railing on both sides of him. _'There has to be a way to find out where Staryu is... You've just gotta find it... Think!'_

Misty looked over at him, "Are you done? If so, I can end this match right now..." She paused to wait for a response, only to grow irritated when Ash didn't respond. Was he ignoring her? Well, she would see to that! "Staryu! Harden again and use Rapid Spin!"

_'Not this again!' _Ash thought as Staryu apparently backed off before a small area underneath the water began to glow—_'Glow...? I can... see Staryu when its glowing...'_ His eyes widened, only for Staryu's glow to vanish. _'I have to think of something that'll make Staryu glow! But, what? What can Eevee do that'll make Staryu glow? C'mon, _think!_'_

Unseen, Staryu cut into Eevee's side again before backing off. It circled around Eevee for two seconds before charging in again, this time slicing into Eevee's wounded tail. These sudden injuries caused Eevee to cry out in pain and instinctively lash out with her right fore-paw, only to hit water instead of her tormentor. In the next second, that same paw received a cut as Staryu attacked her front side, pushing her back through the water as it attacked.

_'C'mon, think... _think_... Eevee needs to do something that'll cause Staryu to glow...'_ Ash's hands gripped the railing even tighter before he clenched his eyes shut. _'... It's no use...'_ He thought after a couple of moments. _'The only time I saw Eevee do that was by using Helping-Hand...'_ His eyes snapped open. "That's _it!_" Leaning over the railing, Ash looked at Eevee. "Eevee use_ Helping-Hand!_"

Hands clenched around the railing, Ash watched as Eevee started to glow blue before she released a bolt of blue energy. This bolt quickly hit the water three feet from Eevee, whereupon a blue-tinted Staryu could be seen spinning towards Eevee. It worked. It worked!

'_What the—'_ Misty thought.

"Eevee, Tail-Whip!" Ash quickly ordered.

Instead of responding, Eevee brought up her injured tail and whipped it towards the now-visible form of her tormentor. She felt satisfaction when the blow finally connected, punting Staryu a couple feet under the water where the blue glow around it began to fade.

"Now—get to the top of the ice cone!" Ash commanded. He now had a way of finding Staryu, but it wouldn't help if Eevee got stuck like she had before. By getting onto the ice cone, Staryu wouldn't be able to pin her down like it had, which would allow him some time to think of how he would use his discovery in the continuing battle.

Misty seemed to realize this as well as, in the next second, she ordered. "Don't let Eevee get away! Use Swift and follow it with a Rapid Spin!"

"Use Helping-Hand!" Ash ordered Eevee as she continued to swim towards the ice cone. He needed to know just what direction that Staryu was going to come from so he could counteract it. He watched as Eevee paused before she launched another blue bolt. "Good work!"

The blue bolt hit Staryu just as it jumped out of the water, making its invisible body blue-tinted and visible amongst the water droplets. It was only a couple of seconds later when Staryu released a series of gold-tinted stars from its core, which then rocketed towards Eevee as gravity pulled Staryu down.

"Swim to the left!" Ash commanded.

The first star of Staryu's Swift hit the water where Eevee had been seconds before, causing a small plume of water to be sent into the air. The other stars followed—hitting the water to Eevee's left and right as well as a few feet behind and in front of her—with each sending another plume of water into the air.

However, it was obvious that Eevee didn't escape unharmed. Eevee was hit by the force of the water as it sloshed back into the pool, pushing her backwards and trying to pull her underneath the surface. It was hard, especially with her injuries, but Eevee struggled onwards until the last of the stars had hit the water.

"Hyah!" Staryu cried as its rapidly rotating body exploded out of the water from in front Eevee before it rocketed towards her. Surprised, Eevee barely heard her Trainer yell for her to use Scratch. She did hear him, however, and raised her paw from the water and swung it towards Staryu, claws extended.

"C'mon Eevee, you can do it!" Ash called out as Eevee's paw raced towards Staryu.

Misty clenched the railing tight enough for her fists to turn white, "Finish it off, Staryu! I know you can do it!"

As the two Pokémon collided—Eevee's paw against Staryu's spinning body—the water around them was displaced into the air, provided an effective smokescreen. Ash and Misty, alongside Ms. Stone and everyone on the sidelines, watched with bated breaths as to what would happen next. The answer came when Eevee's battered form swam out of the falling water and slowly made her way towards the ice cone.

_'What happened?'_ Misty thought with a small frown. _'I know that blow wouldn't have been able to take Staryu out, so it should've already gotten out of there... Unless—' _Eevee climbed to the top of the ice cone before Ash ordered it to use Helping-Hand again. He was already too late.

The blue bolt struck Staryu's spinning body as the Pokémon spun out of the water from inside the ice cone, heading straight for Eevee. The unexpected blow sent both tumbling back into the water with good splash, whereupon the two Pokémon began to fight anew.

_'Without waiting for my orders, Staryu reacted and decided to go with the blow, which knocked it underwater...' _Misty realized. _'It then swam to where Eevee was headed and allowed Eevee to get onto the ice cone before it attacked with a Rapid Spin—obeying my earlier instructions.'_

"C'mon, Eevee! Scratch it and then a Tail-Whip!" Ash ordered.

"Staryu—Harden!" Misty countered. While she knew Eevee's attacks hadn't knocked Staryu unconscious, they did cause some damage. What made it worse was that most of the damage was around Staryu's core; a couple more hits and Staryu would be knocked out. By using Harden, Staryu's defense would go up and prolong the inevitable. "Then use Tackle!"

Eevee scratched at Staryu's core and left a very thin gash in the material, as Staryu had already used Harden again. She brought up her tail to whack Staryu in its core, but Staryu was faster. It bent its upper body backwards to avoid the blow before it moved to the side and charged at Eevee. Eevee tried to defend with her tail but was too slow, resulting in her getting Tackled.

"Finish it with another Rapid Spin." Misty ordered.

Ash leaned forward on the railing, "Eevee! You need to dodge!"

However, moments after ordering this, Ash realized that Eevee wouldn't be able to fulfill it. Staryu's earlier attacks had taken their toll on his Pokémon, leaving Eevee just clinging onto consciousness. He supposed he hadn't seen it before because they were in the heat of battle but now, as Eevee sunk, he saw it. She looked so very _tired_.

Staryu faded from view once more, its body already spinning. Ash knew that it would now be rocketing down towards Eevee to finish her off. He couldn't allow that. No matter how playful and gluttonous Eevee could be—especially when she smelled French Fries—he also knew that she greatly enjoyed battling and wouldn't want him to give up on her. She would never forgive him if he did that.

"One last shot!" Ash called to his exhausted Pokémon. "Use Helping-Hand on yourself and Tackle Staryu!" Instead of responding, Eevee merely drifted further into the water, seeming to have not heard his order. "C'mon, Eevee! Just one last shot! I know you can do it!" Eevee was rammed by an invisible force and sent deeper into the pool, coming to a stop when her back touched smooth concrete. "Eevee!"

There was no response.

From her position on the referee's platform, Ms. Stone sighed. It was time to end this match so that Ash could recall his Pokémon before any unwanted damage could be done due to prolonged exposure underwater. "The winner for this match is—"

XXXXXX

Eevee slowly opened her eyes, blinking sluggishly when she noticed that she was surrounded with water. It took her a moment to recall where she was and what had been happening before she had blacked out. The battle—her Trainer needed her!

"Just one last shot! I know you can do it!" Eevee heard her Trainer yell, though his voice was somewhat distorted by the water around her. She felt emboldened by his words and began swimming upwards, exhausted eyes locked on where she could see Staryu. "Eevee!"

Eevee opened her mouth and used Growl seconds before she rammed the full force her body could provide into Staryu's core. Her Growl disoriented Staryu enough so that it didn't have enough time to process that it was under attack before she hit it will her Tackle.

XXXXXXX

Ms. Stone never got to finish her statement as the water where Staryu—who had disengaged its Camouflage when Eevee seemed down for the count—had been exploded upwards. People gasped as they saw the reason for this; Eevee had gotten back up and had rammed Staryu from underneath, right into its core.

The reactions that this surprising action caused were varied. Everyone was certainly surprised that Eevee had been able to make a comeback, especially when Ms. Stone was just about to announce Misty's victory. In addition, Ash was beyond happy that Eevee had managed to listen to him and give 'one last shot' while Misty was annoyed. Why couldn't Eevee have just stayed _down_?

It was only a couple of seconds later when Eevee and Staryu collided with the edge of the ice cone. This caused that edge of the ice cone to break off and fall into the water as Staryu's body slackened—its formerly glowing core dimming as it fell into unconsciousness.

There came a couple moments of stunned silence. Then came the expected responses as everyone snapped out of their shock:

"Yes!"

"Damnit!"

"Awesome job, Eevee!"

"Well done!"

Ms. Stone cleared her throat to gain everyone's attention, "It appeared I was wrong. The winner of this match is—" Flag in hand, she then waved it downwards, in Ash's side of the battlefield. "—Eevee! Challenger Ash wins Round Two!"

"I knew you could it Eevee!" Ash stated as he looked down at Eevee, who just smiled at him tiredly. He had been right to think that Eevee would be able to pull it off, somehow, and she had. He couldn't be more proud of her than he was now, "You did awesome!"

By this point, Misty had retrieved Staryu's Poké Ball before reabsorbing Staryu into it. She had calmed down a bit from her usual feelings of disappointment and irritation over her recent loss and was now feeling a bit excited. Here was a Trainer who didn't go the standard path and capture a strong Electric or Grass-Type Pokémon. Instead, he had trained his current team of Pokémon for this match and had even developed an entirely new move.

It made Misty appreciate him more as a Trainer.

_'Even though I like your style, I won't go easy on you in the next match.' _Misty thought to herself as she retrieved another Poké Ball from her pocket. _'I'll make you earn the Cascade Badge by defeating one of my strongest Pokémon. Let's see how you do against—'_ Misty threw her Poké Ball into the air. "I choose you, Starmie!"

Once the Pokémon—Starmie—had materialized, Ash brought out his Pokédex and pointed it at it. There was a brief pause before the Pokédex began to speak, informing everyone within hearing range of the information it possessed on Starmie's species.

**"Starmie: The Mysterious Pokémon. This species, along with their pre-evolutionary form, Staryu, are thought to be from an alien planet. This theory is supported by the fact that Starmie send electric signals into outer space, suggesting that terrestrial Starmie are communicating with their alien relatives."**

Starmie, like its pre-evolved form Staryu, resembled a sea star. Its main body was violet, but it retained the gold formation on its front. Starmie's red jewel core was larger than Staryu's and had developed to resemble a cut precious stone. The major difference between the two species, though, was the second semi-attached star on Starmie's back.

Ash put away his Pokédex away again, feeling somewhat confused about the information that it had given him. He had always known that Pokémon covered all regions of the world and came in numerous shapes and forms—had been told stories as a child about the legendary Mew—but aliens? Was it even possible that some Pokémon weren't native to Earth or that there were Pokémon on other planets?

After a moment, Ash shook his head to clear his thoughts._ 'I can't focus on this, now. I need to focus on the battle and winning the Cascade Badge...'_ He glanced down at Eevee, who was staring at Starmie with a slight grimace visible on her face. "Do you think you can last another round or do you want to come back up here Eevee? You've done more than enough."

Eevee stubbornly shook her head and got back up to her feet, having been laying on the platform she had swam to after Staryu had been knocked unconscious. Ash nodded, having expected this, before he turned his attention to the battlefield.

"Alright, Round Three: Ash's Eevee vs. Misty's Starmie!" Ms. Stone announced. She glanced at both Ash and Misty, and then their Pokémon, before she said. "Begin!"

As soon as Ms. Stone had started the match, Ash and Misty had barked out their orders to their Pokémon:

"Starmie! Use your Confuse Ray and follow it with a Water Gun!"

"Dodge it, Eevee!"

Starmie's core glowed orange for a couple of seconds before it released an orange beam in Eevee's general direction. This beam was quickly followed with an intense jet of water from the tip of Starmie's uppermost appendage. Seeing the incoming danger, Eevee quickly jumped to the side and avoided Starmie's Confuse Ray before she was forced to dodge Starmie's Water Gun.

Misty grinned, "Now, Starmie, use Rapid Spin!"

Starmie nodded with its uppermost appendage before it quickly jumped into the water, aiming it so that its body would land on the water horizontally. There, Starmie began to spin around until the tips of its appendages blurred into two cutting edges. All of this had taken less than five seconds.

On an unseen signal, Starmie launched forward and cut through the water towards Eevee's platform. Both Ash and Eevee quickly learned that Starmie was faster than Staryu had ever been—maybe because of the additional star attached to its back?—with its speed similar to that of a small motor boat.

"Dodge and then use Tackle!" Ash ordered.

Eevee nodded seconds before Starmie cut the distance between them and tilted its body so that it swerved out of the water and into the air, spinning. It hung there for a moment before it suddenly launched downwards towards Eevee. Seeing this, Eevee quickly dodged, leaving Starmie to cut into the space where she had been only moments before.

That space soon became shredded, with the stuffing inside the platform soon coming out and flying everywhere. Eevee stumbled in her run towards Starmie as the platform suddenly shifted before the area underneath Starmie began to sink into the water. Starmie seemed to have torn through the platform.

Starmie stopped spinning just when Eevee was about to Tackle it head-first and send it into the hole it had just created. Starmie, however, apparently sensed her presence and dodged—following Misty's order—before it twisted around and blocked Eevee's outstretched paw with one of its appendages.

"Now, Water Gun!"

Ash's eyes widened as he leaned forward on the railing, "Get out of there Eevee! It was a trap!"

However, despite his intentions, it was already far too late. Starmie bent the tip of its uppermost appendage towards Eevee and released a stream of pressurized water directly in her face. Eevee was propelled backwards from the force of the sudden attack, landing on the edge of the platform, where the water began pounding her body.

When Starmie's attack ended and the last of the water trickled away, Eevee was revealed in the corner. That last attack had been way too much for her exhausted and already-injured body to take and, as such, had knocked her unconscious.

"... You did really well, Eevee." Ash said as he unclipped Eevee's barely-used Poké Ball from his belt and recalled her as Ms. Stone announced Misty's victory. "Take a long rest, girl. You certainly deserve it for doing so much."

As Starmie returned to its starting position, Ash unclipped another Poké Ball from his belt before he looked at Misty. As it stood, he and Misty had each achieved one victory and one draw so the winner of the next match would win the battle. He couldn't say he wasn't excited and nervous about the prospect, because he was, but he would do his best to insure that he won.

"Ready, Ash?" Misty called.

Ash nodded, "I'm ready." He held back his final Poké Ball and threw it towards Eevee's sinking platform. "I choose you—Beedrill!"

Beedrill materialized in the air a couple of inches above the platform, wings beating to keep it aloft, and his antennae twitching slightly as he looked around the battlefield. He quickly spotted Starmie and raised his stingers offensively and buzzed warningly.

"You brought out a Beedrill?" Misty asked, taking a couple of steps backwards. Sure, she could imagine how he could think it would be effective—it could fly around the battlefield—but it was a _Bug-Type_. Why did he have to bring a _Bug-Type_ out?

Could he possibly know that she was slightly afraid of Bug-Type Pokémon? No, that wasn't possible. She hadn't told any of her staff at the Gym that she was afraid of anything, let alone Bug-Type Pokémon, so they couldn't have told him.

Ash grinned, "Yeah. I had thought about bringing Pidgeotto into this, but I've worked out some good strategies with Beedrill—" Beedrill buzzed happily. "—over the past two weeks. And reworked some old ones."

"Okay! I will now announce the beginning of the final match." Ms. Stone stated, bringing everyone's attention back to her. "Whomever wins this round will win the entire battle, so do your best..." Ash and Misty nodded. "Round Four: Ash's Beedrill vs. Misty's Starmie! Begin!"

Like the beginning of Round Three, both Ash and Misty were eager to begin so, as soon as she began Round Four, they were on the offensive. It was the last round and the winner of it would win the entire battle, so the stakes couldn't be higher.

"Starmie, use Rain Dance!" Misty commanded. She knew that Ash would order his _bug_ into the air at some point and that Starmie would have to attack it from below. That is why she needed Starmie to use Rain Dance, so that the effectiveness of its Water Gun wouldn't be lowered by the distance between it and Beedrill.

"Use Poison Sting, Beedrill!" Ash ordered as Starmie began to dance around. He had seen this move used a couple of times on the Pokémon Fight Channel, during its coverage of the Pokémon League, so he quickly caught onto Misty's plan.

Beedrill buzzed in agreement before he raised one of his stingers towards Starmie as clouds began to form above the battlefield. The tip of his stinger glowed purple before he began to fire a series of thin, purple 'needles' at Starmie at a rapid speed.

_'What?' _Misty thought in shock. And why shouldn't she be shocked? As a species, Beedrill usually used Poison Sting with the stingers on their arms, coating it with their poison and then attempting to stab their enemy with the poisoned appendage. So, why was this Beedrill not doing that? Misty shook her head; she could ask Ash about that later. Right now, she needed to focus on the battle. "Harden!"

Starmie's body glowed for a couple of moments, fading as rain began to fall onto the battlefield and Beedrill's Poison Sting approached. It weathered the attack, which barely left small scratches on its newly-Hardened body, until it had ended. All in all, it didn't seem that effective.

It was only a second later that a white rope-like thing wrapped around Starmie's body and pulled it towards Beedrill. This caused Misty's eyes to widen in slight alarm—when had Beedrill managed to use String Shot?—before she quickly ordered for Starmie to use Rapid Spin.

"Use Fury Attack!" Ash ordered as Starmie began to spin around, quickly cutting through the 'rope' around it. He had worked it out with Beedrill during the last two weeks that, after it used Poison Sting, to use String Shot. It was too bad that Misty had recovered from the shock, but Starmie's momentum would bring it directly in Beedrill's line of fire, with or without Beedrill's String Shot.

Beedrill buzzed in acknowledgement before he brought up his stingers before he flew towards Starmie as it 'flew' towards him. "Drill Bee-_drill_!"

Moments before the two Pokémon collided, Starmie's body glowed as it used Harden again, seeming to expect what was coming next. Beedrill's first stinger impacted harshly against Starmie's back at an angle that forced the purple Pokémon onto the wet platform underneath it. Beedrill quickly spun around and continued his attack, stabbing at Starmie with a quick series of stinger-jabs.

"Use Water Gun!"

Right as Beedrill's left stinger was about to impact against Starmie's core, Starmie's uppermost appendage got in the way and blocked it. Remembering what had happened to Eevee, Ash quickly ordered for Beedrill to dodge. Beedrill bent backwards as Starmie released another pressurized burst of water which flew centimeters above Beedrill's eyes.

"Now, use Confuse Ray!" Misty ordered.

"Dodge it and then use another Poison Sting!"

Starmie's core glowed orange as it got back onto its 'feet' before it quickly fired off a Confuse Ray at Beedrill's rapidly retreating form. It then began to dodge as Beedrill turned around and unleashed another series of 'needles' towards it.

As Starmie dodged, Misty looked over at Ash. "I don't think you should be getting too comfortable, Ash... 'Cause Starmie and I haven't even _begun_ to battle yet." She paused to turn to Starmie, seeing that Beedrill's Poison Sting had ended. "Starmie, use Camouflage."

"Up into the air!" Ash hurriedly ordered as Misty's Starmie began to fade from view. Even if Starmie couldn't be seen, Starmie wouldn't be able to attack Beedrill if he was in the air. Wait. That wasn't quite true. Starmie wouldn't be able to attack _without being seen_ if Beedrill was up in the air.

Misty smirked, "Flying away? Oh, well..." She seemed to ponder her next move. "... Starmie, dive into the water and hide. Then use Recover."

This was what she had been planning ever since Ash's Beedrill had landed that Fury Attack on her Starmie. She first had to force Ash to make Beedrill go into the air, away from Starmie, which she accomplished by making Starmie use Camouflage. He probably remembered how dangerous for his Pokémon to be on the ground while that move was in use.

Another advantage of using Camouflage—besides tricking Ash and allowing Starmie to heal—was that Beedrill wouldn't be able to pinpoint where Starmie was. That meant it wouldn't be able to use its Poison Sting on Starmie, let alone use that String Shot trick of its.

A disadvantage of using Camouflage now, however, was that she wouldn't be able to use any long-range attacks on Beedrill without Ash being able to pinpoint where Starmie was. So, if Starmie missed after using a Water Gun, Ash would know where Starmie was at and react accordingly.

As Misty thought about her current advantages and disadvantages, Ash was now regretting his move to get Beedrill into the air. He should've known that Misty would trick him like that, but, as they said, hindsight is good in retrospect.

What he needed now was to figure out a way to lure Starmie out into the open and detect it like how he had detected Staryu. Beedrill, however, didn't know Helping Hand like Eevee did. He supposed he could have Beedrill use a widespread Poison Sting to see if Starmie was anywhere near the top of the pool, but that would exhaust Beedrill if he had to use it more than a couple of times.

There! Ash quickly spotted Starmie underneath the water, seeming to 'peak' out from the side of the ice cone. It must've hide there when Misty had ordered it to hide. He needed to act before that glow faded and Starmie became invisible again. "Beedrill! Use String Shot to wrap around Starmie!"

_'Damnit.' _Misty thought as Ash pointed out Starmie's location to Beedrill. There went her whole plan if Beedrill managed to get Starmie. So, she would need to make it so that it didn't happen. "Starmie! As soon as you see Beedrill, use Confuse Ray!"

Coming to a hover above the water, Beedrill then released two thick String Shot from the tips of his stingers, which then raced towards Starmie's location. As this was happening, Starmie moved to get a proper aim on Beedrill before releasing a Confuse Ray from its core. The Confuse Ray collided with Beedrill just as Beedrill's String Shot encircled around and then tightened around Starmie.

"Beedrill? Drill, Beedrill..." Beedrill's tilted his head confusedly before he suddenly flew to the right, pulling along a reluctant Starmie out of the water. Confused as to why there seemed to be something weighing him down, he flew faster and in a zigzag pattern, trying to get the thing off of him.

Ash frowned, _'Beedrill is confused.'_

This was bad. A confused Pokémon would not be able to attack properly, as its confusion would make it dizzy. Furthermore, it made it almost impossible to hit their target, as a confused Pokémon wouldn't be able to tell where everything was correctly.

In addition, a confused Pokémon may not realize where it was or might attack itself. This made it easy for a confused Pokémon to fly out of the range of a battlefield, disqualifying itself. And Ash couldn't allow Beedrill to do that or hurt itself, as he really wanted to win. How would he stop it, though; he didn't believe he had any Full Restore or Full Heal on him.

Starmie slammed into the side of the ice cone as Beedrill wiped the String Shot around, trying to get the 'weight' off himself but being unable to remember how to get the String Shot off itself. Getting angry, it jerked its stingers around, causing Starmie to hit the ice cone a couple more times.

_'Then again...'_ Ash thought with a small grin. _'Beedrill looks to be doing just fine...'_

Misty was not so amused, "Starmie, use Water Gun on Beedrill's stingers!"

Starmie replied with a firm 'Hah' seconds before it was slammed against the top of the ice cone again. When Beedrill next jerked his stingers back, moving Starmie away from the ice cone, Starmie pointed its uppermost appendage at Beedrill and fired.

"Dodge it, Beedrill!" Ash ordered, having seen the danger too late and now hoping that Beedrill, in his confusion, would be able to understand and obey. If Beedrill couldn't, things could quickly go south for the both of them.

Beedrill's head jerked upwards before he turned slightly and faltered in mid-air. This caused Starmie's Water Gun to miss its intended target—Beedrill's stingers—and instead hit Beedrill's side. Beedrill buzzed angrily at the pain before he seemingly forgot what he had been doing and began flying again.

Beedrill was now doing loop de loops before spinning around in little circles. He sometimes faltered in mid-air, which caused him to plummet to the water, only to shake himself off and stagger upwards into the air. It would've been funny to see Beedrill acting this drunk if it weren't for the fact that they were in a battle.

Throughout all of this, Starmie was slammed into the ice cone, one of the floating platforms, or the water itself numerous times. This led to a growing increase of bruises and scratches along Starmie's body, a testament to how strongly Starmie was hitting things.

By this point, Misty had finally had enough. "Starmie, use Rapid Spin!"

There was no verbal response from Starmie, though it did begin to rotate its body, allowing it to begin cutting through Beedrill's String Shot. That may not have been the best time to do that as Beedrill suddenly surged upwards, dragging Starmie upwards. The 'rope' around Starmie's body broke when Beedrill was 60 feet in the air and Starmie was 30 feet above the water.

"You need to slow yourself down!" Misty called out while she watched her Starmie plummet towards the water, frantically thinking of ways to help it complete her command. She found one when Starmie was 23 feet away from the water. "Turn so your core is facing the water and use Water Gun!"

"Beedrill! Now's our chance! Use Twineedle!"

Beedrill swayed in the air—vaguely hearing someone calling his name before he heard his Trainer say Twineedle—and turned towards the way where he saw a blurred form. Gliding downwards, Beedrill brought his stingers forward, almost plummeting because of the sudden weight, but managed to correct himself before he fell into the water.

Misty spotted Beedrill far too late. She barely managed to give Starmie a warning before Beedrill slammed both of his stingers into Starmie's back, where Starmie's appendages came together. Starmie released a pained cry before it plummeted downwards, its Water Gun failing as the toxins along Beedrill's stingers entered its body.

The only consolation was that Starmie wasn't knocked unconscious when it hit the water; no, it was knocked out ten seconds later by the strong poison that had been injected into it with Beedrill's Twineedle.

XXXXXX

"As the Gym Leader of the Cerulean City Gym, I am proud to present you with the Cascade Badge, Ash." Misty stated with a small smile as she stood before Ash, Anabel, and Willow with Ms. Stone standing behind her. Her smile grew as he took the teardrop-shaped badge from her hands. "You definitely earned it."

Eevee—who had been released from her Poké Ball and was now on Ash's shoulder once more—watched as Ash reached towards his belt and unclipped two Poké Balls, slightly confused. What was her Trainer doing? Wasn't he going to celebrate their victory?

"C'mon out, guys!" Ash called as he released the two Pokémon from their Poké Balls. The Pokémon in question happened to be Rattata and Beedrill. When they turned to Ash, obviously confused, Ash raised his Cascade Badge and grinned. "We did it, guys! We won the Cascade Badge!"

Beedrill and Rattata cheered while Eevee merely snuggled into Ash's neck. The other two Pokémon seemed to take this as some sort of signal as they suddenly rushed forward before Beedrill gave him a tight hug. Rattata pranced around them, chattering about his Trainer's success to anybody that would hear.

"Beedrill..." Ash complained as Misty, Willow, and Anabel laughed. "... too tight..."

XXXXXX

(Later—Cerulean City)

"What do you mean that you aren't coming?"

It had been two days since Ash had challenged the Cerulean City Gym and had defeated Misty. They hadn't already left beforehand because everyone needed to stock up on their supplies for their upcoming trip across Route Five, where the money Ash had received from Misty had been a huge help.

Ready to move out, Ash and Anabel had packed everything back into their backpacks and returned their room keys to Nurse Joy. They were now standing outside of the Pokémon Center, where Willow had told them that she wouldn't be able to come with them.

Willow looked away, "I'm sorry, Ash. I really wish I could come with you guys but... I can't." She pet the top of Bulbasaur's head, who closed her eyes at the touch, before she looked back up. "You see, there is this Pokémon Breeder convention at Scissor Street that I really can't miss. I should've already left a few days ago, but I wanted to see you guys off."

Well, didn't that just suck. Ash had really enjoyed seeing Willow again and spending some time with her over the past two weeks and had hoped that she could come with him and Anabel. They would probably have had a great time together, too.

But, Willow wanted to be a Pokémon Breeder and, as such, had different goals and dreams than he and Anabel did. She needed to learn more about the different types of Pokémon out there and how to care for them. She needed to talk with other Breeders at conventions and learn from them, something which would probably become invaluable to her.

He couldn't tell her not to go or beg her to stay with him. To do that would be really mean and would damage their friendship. So, no matter how much he wished that she could stay, he had to respect her decisions and let her do what she needed to do.

Ash looked down before he sighed, "... Have fun at Scissor Lane."

In the next moment, Ash found himself the surprised recipient of a one-armed hug from Willow. He returned it with a one-armed hug of his own, making sure not to drop his Egg Container or hit Bulbasaur in the face with it, and held his old friend close.

"I'll miss you."

"I'll miss you to, Willow." Ash murmured before they separated. "... Try to Video Chat me sometimes, okay? I want to know how you're doing and you know how long regular mail would take..."

They all shared a laugh at that before Willow nodded. She promised that she would try and call him every day, though she expected him to call her when she didn't. He promised that he would before Willow gave him one last one-armed hug, leaving once it was over.

Ash watched Willow walk away until he couldn't see anymore, "So, are you leaving too, Anabel?"

"No. I'm coming." Anabel stepped up to stand beside Ash before she laid a hand on his shoulder. He turned to look at her and she gave him a small smile, "Besides, you don't know how to take care of Baby Pokémon; it would be criminal of me to let you go with that Pokémon Egg... Who knows what you'll do when it hatches."

Ash laughed sarcastically before he began to walk away with Anabel following close behind. It was time to move on to the next city but, to do that, they would first have to cross Route Five.

* * *

Ash's Pokémon Team:

Eevee (Female): Level 19.

Attacks: Tackle (Normal), Sand Attack (Normal), Scratch (Normal), Tail-Whip (Normal), Helping Hand (Normal), and Growl (Normal).

Pidgeotto (Male): Level 17.

Attacks: Sand Attack (Ground), Tackle (Normal), Gust (Flying), and Peck (Flying).

Rattata (Male): Level 16.

Attacks: Bite (Dark), Tackle (Normal), Quick Attack (Normal), Hyper Fang (Normal), Scratch (Normal), and Quick Swim (Normal).

Beedrill (Male): Level 17.

Attacks: String-Shot (Bug), Poison-Sting (Poison), Bug-Bite (Bug), Fury Attack (Normal), and Twineedle (Bug).

Clefairy (Female): Level 13.

Attacks: Sing (Normal), Pound (Normal), and Metronome (Normal).

Paras (Male): Level 15.

Attacks: PoisonPowder (Poison), Stun Spore (Grass), Sleep Powder (Grass), and Spore (Grass).

Misty's Pokémon Team:

Seel (Female): Level 22.

Attacks: Headbutt (Normal), Growl (Normal), Water Sport (Water), Icy Wind (Ice), Ice Shard (Ice), and Rest (Psychic).

Staryu: Level 20.

Attacks: Tackle (Normal), Water Gun (Water), Harden (Normal), Rapid Spin (Normal), Swift (Normal), Recover (Normal), and Camouflage (Normal).

Starmie: Level 25.

Attacks: Water Gun (Water), Harden (Normal), Rapid Spin (Normal), Recover (Normal), Tackle (Normal), Rain Dance (Water), and Confuse Ray (Ghost).

Anabel's Pokémon Team:

Abra (Male): Level 20.

Attacks: Teleport (Psychic), Psyshock (Psychic), and Confusion (Psychic).

? Unknown:

Attacks: Unknown.

Willow's Pokémon Team:

Bulbasaur (Female): Level 16.

Attacks: Unknown.

* * *

**A/N: Author's Note: **Well, that's the end of this chapter. I hope that you guys enjoyed it and leave your thoughts about it. And don't worry about Willow; we'll see her and Bulbasaur eventually. But enough of that... I'm hoping you guys are excited about the familar face that's going to appear next! I know I am!


	19. Chapter 19:

Disclaimer: I do not, nor have I ever, owned anything related to Nintendo's _Pokémon_ franchise.

* * *

Legend:

"A human or a Pokémon is talking."

'_A human or a Pokémon is thinking.'_

"**A machine is being used."**

* * *

Chapter 19:

* * *

(Kanto—Route Five)

At the moment, one could find Ash and Anabel walking down a well-trodden path through the forest that made up Route Five. Honestly, it came a surprise to Ash that Trainers could get lost, as all they had to do was stay on the path or keep the path in their sight at all times.

"What kind of Pokémon do you think is inside this Egg, Anabel?"

This question had bugged Ash ever since Willow had told them both that his Pokémon Egg didn't match any descriptions in her Breeder Handbook. He had come to the conclusion that the Egg could've been a newly discovered or new Pokémon species. That would explain why the Egg wasn't in the handbook; Breeders wouldn't put it into the book unless they knew how to care for it.

However, Ash had come to start doubting that. Based on what his Pokédex's entry on Starmie, he was forming a crazy idea in his head; could the Pokémon that came out from his Pokémon Egg be an _alien? _It would explain why he and Anabel had found the Egg inside that enormous Moon Stone—it could've been a 'vessel' for an alien—and why the wild Clefable and Clefairy had tried to destroy it.

What if this idea was true? What would it mean? Ash could imagine people asking after it or trading for it. He could even imagine people like Jessie and James trying to steal it from him because it would be the only one of its kind. Pokémon Professors or Researchers such as Professor Oak would also ask about it, asking if they could study it and bringing up the question if he could 'raise it right'.

Ash, however, didn't know if he could allow that. Despite not knowing what type of Pokémon it would be, or what type of personality it would develop, it had already grown on him. He had already risked his life to protect it once and, based on the surge of protectiveness he got whenever he thought of the Egg, he would do it again.

"... I think it could be a lot of things. It could be a recently discovered Pokémon or a Pokémon that people haven't discovered yet..." Anabel said after a moment before she paused. "But, you're not really asking about that, are you?"

Ash shook his head, "I don't know... I mean, I'm curious about what it'll be but..."

"You want to know what _type_ of Pokémon it'll be?" Anabel asked with a slight tilt of her head, having somewhat understood Ash's unspoken question. "... I think that depends on how you raise it, Ash."

"Huh?"

"... That Pokémon will probably see you as its parent, Ash. It will grow and develop a personality based on how you will raise it." Anabel stated in an informative way. "For example: if you raise it to love battling, then it would grow up to love battling. If you raised it to love participating in contests, then it would grow up to love participating in contests."

Silence descended upon the pair as soon as Anabel had finished speaking, with Ash turning his head towards his Egg. Thinking about it, he realized that Anabel made a lot of sense. But that also brought up another slew of questions. How should he raise it? Could he raise it?

XXXXXX

(Meanwhile)

"How the mighty have fallen..." A pale-skinned man with short blue hair and black eyes mocked as he looked over his new 'charge'. "They said that you guys were so good that you had the chance to become the first triad to achieve Admin status but... after your recent string of failures... it was lucky that your team was merely disbanded."

"Shut up."

The man—Pierce—only grinned, "Aw, did I touch a sore spot?" He took a step forward towards the woman he was talking to, quickly getting within her personal space. "Well, you're going to have to get used to it. Your team lost favor with the boss and was disbanded, where you were put under _my_ supervision." He leaned over until his mouth was next to her right ear, "One wrong word from me will lead to your _dismissal_."

Jessie clenched her fists together so tightly that her fingernails began to bite through her gloves. She wanted to scream or yell at Pierce—tell him that nobody ordered her around—but held her tongue. Right now, Pierce had all of the cards and, if she did anything to displease him, he would report it to the Boss. And, if he did that, she would be _dismissed_.

She had originally believed that, after her team's failure on Mt. Moon, they would be dismissed. The Boss, however, had found a harsher way to punish them; he had separated them. It became quite clear within the next few days on how cruel that decision had been.

She, James, and Meowth had been working together as a group for years. They had come to depend on and trust one another and, dare she say it, love on another like siblings. When the Boss had torn up her team, Jessie hadn't realized how much she would miss them. It felt like a part of her identity had been stolen from her, that she was missing half of who she was.

So, despite how much she resented where she was or who she was working with now, she would do anything to get back with James and Meowth. Even if that meant having to put up with self-absorbed jerks like Pierce.

"I... understand, Pierce." Jessie muttered despite wanting to bash his face in. Hearing this, Pierce stepped off, believing her to have been sufficiently cowed by his threat. She turned her head to the side, playing up the image. "... What is the mission?"

Pierce's grin grew, "We're to relieve a certain village of all its Pokémon."

With that vague piece of information delivered, Pierce let out a chuckle before he turned around. He missed the angry glare that Jessie aimed at his back, internally vowing that she would _personally dismiss_ him when she got back into the Boss' good graces.

XXXXXX

(Kanto—Route Five—Hidden Village)

How could it all have gone so wrong so quickly?

Today had started out like any other day. She had woken up at 6:00 am and had a small breakfast before she had gone out to give the Pokémon under her care their breakfasts. She then began to tend to their healing wounds with her variety of homemade medicines.

Unlike some days where the Pokémon would get into a squabble, today had been relatively peaceful. There were no arguments over what part of the village belonged to which group of Pokémon. Or no fights about her having to spilt her attention as she tended to the sicker or played with the younger Pokémon.

Then, right before lunch, everything changed.

It started when she noticed the three canisters in the middle of the village, seconds before the canisters had exploded. She had been quickly consumed by the resulting smoke and then knocked down as the Pokémon around her panicked and ran for cover.

She could only watch as nets launched out from the smoke and snagged the running Pokémon before the nets were retracted into the smoke. She then screamed as a net launched out of the smoke towards her, unable to believe what was going on.

It was right before the net could capture her that a long green vine whipped it, so powerful that it actually cut the net in half. She shakily turned to see her savior—Bulbasaur—before he began to whip at the incoming nets, taking them down and sparing the still-fleeing Pokémon from being captured.

She had been so relieved to see Bulbasaur at that time. He was one of the stronger Pokémon that lived in the Hidden Village and had been dubbed 'The Protector' because of how protective he was of his fellow Pokémon and her. Surely he could defend them from whatever was attacking them.

By this point, the smoke had cleared enough to reveal the shadows of two figures—one male and one female—alongside a small machine and a pile of captured Pokémon. She didn't get a chance to do more than yell at the figures, demanding to know what they were doing, before their machine launched another net.

She and Bulbasaur followed the path of the net with their eyes and saw that it was racing towards a scared-looking Pichu. Unlike the other free Pokémon, it hadn't run away or hidden, though it was still very young, so it probably didn't even understand what was going on.

"_No!_"

Bulbasaur quickly used his vines to cut through the net heading towards Pichu, having reacted to her unspoken command. In the next instant, twenty nets were launched from the tip of the two figures' machine. Bulbasaur's red eyes narrowed before he began to cut through or knock the nets away.

"You sure have some _talent._" The male figure stated before he touched the top of his machine. Seconds later, a net that was sparkling with electricity was launched from the tip of machine towards Bulbasaur, who was too busy hitting the other nets that he didn't notice the net heading for him.

"Bulbasaur—look out!"

Her warning only startled Bulbasaur and caused him to glance at her. She screamed as Bulbasaur was caught within the net before it shocked him, causing his vines to collapse to the ground. A trio of nets quickly covered Bulbasaur—further shocking him—before they began to retract, dragging Bulbasaur over to the two figures.

She quickly got up off the ground and raced towards Bulbasaur, whereupon she grabbed onto the nets holding him. She screamed again as nets released another surge of electricity but refused to let go; she had to save Bulbasaur! She just had to!

XXXXXX

Pierce frowned, "Not letting go, eh?" He touched the top of the machine again, which then released a surge of electricity through the cable that connected it to the nets. He then watched as the girl screamed again before she fell to her knees, clinging onto the net stubbornly.

"She must really like that little weed." Jessie remarked.

Pierce's frown grew. If that was true, then the girl wouldn't let go, no matter how high he turned the voltage. _'But... why waste our electricity on her?' _He withdrew a Poké Ball from his pocket and enlarged it. "Double Kick, Hitmonlee."

There was a red flash as Pierce's Pokémon was released before it raced towards the girl in a brown blur. It swung one of its legs at the girl's middle, sending her flying backwards while her breath was forced out of her lungs. Hitmonlee didn't let up, however, as it instantly appeared by the downed girl's side and kicked her right side.

Like before, the girl was sent flying, where she came to a stop by crashing into the side of her hut. The girl groaned painfully as Hitmonlee quickly returned to its Trainer's side and was recalled back into its Poké Ball. Pierce sneered at the girl as he put away his Poké Ball.

The captured Grass-Type shouted in concern for the fallen girl before it began to struggle within the nets that were holding it. A quick dose of electricity through the net, courtesy of Jessie, caused the injured Pokémon to cry out in pain. When Jessie increased the voltage, it knocked the little weed unconscious.

Pierce then turned towards Jessie, "Load the Pokémon up; we're done here."

"Of course."

XXXXXX

When Melanie had next woken up, she groaned weakly and wondered why her stomach and back were hurting so much. It seemed like it would be better for her to just go back to sleep, though some part of her rebelled against the idea. Why were stomach and back hurting so bad? Did something happen?

"-chu, pi-pi chu, chu!"

_'Is that... Pichu?'_ Melanie thought before she frowned. _'Has she... been crying?'_

"Pichu, pi-pi chu, pichu!"

Melanie struggled to open her eyes as her concern for Pichu slowly overcame her desire to go back to sleep. As her eyes cracked open, she became truly aware of how awful she felt and realized that it wasn't just her stomach and back that were hurting her. Her entire body felt as if it had been run over by a herd of Tauros!

But, why was she feeling this way? What had happened to her?

"... Pichu?" Melanie called out.

Instantly, Melanie heard Pichu perk up before the baby Electric-Type Pokémon rushed over to her. She felt Pichu jump onto her chest and groaned from the sudden pressure; why did it hurt so much? She had held Pichu before and it hadn't been a strain on her body before, so why would it be now?

Melanie slowly sit up, having to stop a couple times when the pain grew too intense, and gasped at the sight before her eyes. Knocked over food bowls with scattered bits of PokéChow covered the ground, which seemed to have been flattened during the stampede of 'her' fleeing Pokémon. There were also scattered, broken nets scattered all over the ground.

It was all coming back to her now. The canisters exploding, the nets being launched from that horrible machine and capturing the Pokémon, Bulbasaur saving her, Bulbasaur being captured, grabbing onto Bulbasaur's net, being electrocuted, being Double Kicked by a Pokémon, and blacking out.

Oh, _god_. It was real. _Why_ had that have happened? _How_ could that have happened? She had promised all of the Pokémon that she would protect them! How could she have allowed this to happen to them and have broken her promise to them?

"Pi-pi, pi-pi chu... Pichu, pi-pi..."

Melanie sniffled as a few tears escaped her eyes despite her intentions to not cry. She had to be strong in front of Pichu. Pichu was still a baby and was probably frightened beyond belief. It wouldn't help if she started bawling as well.

"I-It's going to be o-okay, Pichu." Melanie's voice cracked as another few tears escaped her eyes. She tried to keep her voice steady but could not, "It's g-going to be okay...!"

XXXXXX

(Route Five—With Ash and Anabel)

Anabel suddenly froze on the path, which caused Ash to turn around when he stopped hearing her walk. "Are you okay, Anabel?"

"... I can feel somebody crying..." Anabel muttered to herself before she frowned. "But, why are they so sad?" She began to turn in place, trying to get a feel of the direction where the overwhelming sadness and despair that had captured her attention.

Sadness? Ash was confused and, judging by the way Eevee looked at him when he turned to her, so was she. That was until he remembered Anabel telling him of her abilities as an Empath. She was probably reading somebody's—or some_thing's—_emotions.

That realization brought to mind the fact that he had never seen Anabel use her powers before. Could this be the way she reacted when she used them? No. Back when he first met her, she said that she had used her powers to read his and Clefairy's emotions. She hadn't been as unresponsive as she was now back then.

So, why _was_ she?

Before Ash's question could be answered, he was alerted when he saw Anabel pause for a moment before she suddenly darted off the road and into the forest. Alarmed, Ash began to run after his friend, shouting at her to stop. He felt a bit offended when she seemed to ignore him and _increase_ her pace a bit; was she _ignoring_ him?

"C'mon, Anabel, you need to wait up!" Ash called as he raced after his surprisingly fast friend. Why hadn't she _told_ him that she could run like this? "Can you hear me? Anabel?" When he received no answer he frowned, only to curse when Anabel's speed increased yet again. "Dammit, Anabel! Wait up!"

"Ee Eve Eevee Ve Eevee!"

XXXXXX

After chasing Anabel through the forest for what seemed like hours, Ash finally saw Anabel stop after coming into a large clearing. Sighing in relief, he went up to catch her and, when he did, he fell to his knees. As he did so, he made sure not to loss hold of his Egg Container or knock Eevee from her perch, but only just.

That had been some chase Anabel had led him on. He suspected that they were probably near the heart of the forest that made up Route Five by now and, when they tried to get back to the road, find themselves completely lost. Great.

"W-What do you want?"

Eevee let out a sound similar to a squawk was knocked off his shoulder as Ash suddenly jerked upwards at the sound at that unfamiliar voice. Eevee got up and huffed over the treatment, though Ash was too busy staring at the sight before him. It looked as if a tornado had swept through the place!

The clearing itself was comparable to the size of his house and yards, though it was slightly bigger than it. In the corner of the clearing was a small hut with a broken wall, surrounded by a lush patch of grass that stretched to the edge of a small lake. The grass itself was torn and flattened in numerous places while shredded reddish-black nets were scattered over it.

Near the broken wall of the hut was the one who had spoken. It was a pale-skinned teenage girl with dark-blue hair and blue eyes. She was wearing a white shirt underneath a pair of dark-blue overalls and a pair of black sneakers. She looked terrified and as if she had been crying recently but, despite that, she was looking at him and Anabel distrustfully.

"I'll ask you once a-again; _what do you want?_" The girl demanded as she slowly stood up, making sure to keep whatever she was hiding out of their view. "Did you come to finish the job those other two started?"

Ash took a step backwards before he glanced at Anabel, hoping that she would be able to provide the answer. This girl was probably the one that Anabel had seemed to sense earlier, judging by the dried-up tear tracks still staining the girl's face.

But, who were these two people that the girl was talking about? She seemed really angry at them. Could two people have caused the havoc that he could see the clearing and upset the girl? It was likely, as it was the only explanation that he could come up with right now.

"... You were sad." Anabel's eyes weren't glazed anymore, and she seemed to be slowly getting out of whatever she had been in. This was good. Well, it was, until the girl's confused expression faded and was replaced by anger.

"Of course I'm upset! Two strangers attack my village and kidnap most of the Pokémon that lived here, scared the others off, and then had one _attack_ me!" The girl all-but shouted before her eyes narrowed. "So, I'll ask you one last time; _what do you want?!_"

Ash was caught up by the girl's mention of a Pokémon attacking her. While it wasn't uncommon for a Wild Pokémon to attack people, it didn't happen as much as the Wild Pokémon would focus on the Trainer's Pokémon. Knowing this, the people who didn't own Pokémon would stick to the roads to avoid them or hire a Trainer who would accompany them.

But, for someone to order their Pokémon to attack somebody? That was a completely different matter. For as long as people had been able to capture Pokémon, they had been using them against one another in hopes of defeating them. People had used them to protect themselves from other people and Pokémon, take over someplace, assassinate people, hypnotize people, confuse people, threaten people, and many other things.

Eventually, the use of Pokémon against People had gotten so bad that the governments around the world had to act. They had banned this usage of Pokémon through a series of laws, though there were some exemptions. The Police Force was able to use their Pokémon against people, though it was said to be heavily regulated.

Ash had learned about such laws after the incident in Viridian City by reading about them in the Pewter City library. He didn't understand much of the wordings of the laws themselves, but the meaning behind them, when the librarian had explained them to him, was pretty clear. Do not use a Pokémon against a person.

Groups like Team Rocket, however, cared little about such laws or the meaning behind them. Or so he had heard. In his encounters with Team Rocket, Jessie and James hadn't used their Pokémon against him, so he had thought it was just a rumor. This girl's story disproved the rumor, though, as who would else would steal Pokémon? Team Rocket certainly fit the bill, given what the girl had said had happened to her.

But, if Team Rocket was using their Pokémon to target Trainers, then why hadn't Jessie and James done so? It would've been easy for Jessie or James to order their Pokémon to attack him at the Pokémon Center so that Nurse Joy would've been unprotected. If they had done that, they probably would have pulled off the heist. Doing that in a place like Mt. Moon would've allowed them to take him and Anabel down and get the Moon Stone.

The real question was why did Jessie and James _didn't_ use their Pokémon to attack people if other people in Team Rocket _did_?

"We don't want anything." Anabel finally answered. The girl looked disbelieving and opened her mouth to retort, only for Anabel to beat her too it. "As I said earlier, 'You were sad'." She looked down for a moment before looking up. "You see... I... I can sense emotions."

The girl's frown morphed into a small sneer, "You can _'sense emotions'_? What do you take me for? I am not an _idiot_."

Ash was getting angry now. Who did this girl think she was, hm? Anabel had just revealed probably the biggest secret she had and the girl was now throwing it into her face. He saw the way Anabel recoiled slightly and silently wondered if this is why Anabel didn't tell people about her power. They wouldn't believe her.

"... You're feeling very angry, but that is just an attempt to smother your other emotions: sadness, longing, despair, fear, hopelessness, and grief..." Anabel said, looking the girl straight in the eyes, seeing how the girl's eyes widened. "The Pokémon in your arms—" The girl flinched before bringing the yellow Pokémon closer, as if trying to hide it from Anabel. "—is feeling very confused and nervous, as well as a departing sadness."

The girl shook her head defiantly, "T-That doesn't mean anything! You could just be making it all up!"

"You're feeling denial and are probably trying to convince yourself that I am lying to you, correct?" Anabel said knowingly. The girl shook her head again, unwilling to believe Anabel but still wondering how Anabel could know her emotions. "I'm not lying. I would never lie about things like this."

"How... How do you _know_ that?"

"I told you already; I can sense emotions. It is as simple as that." Anabel answered calmly.

The girl clenched her eyes shut and tightened her hold around the yellow Pokémon, which gave a soft 'Chu' of protest. She then took a deep breath and opened her eyes, "... What are you two doing here and how did you get here?"

"We were on our way to Saffron City, where I was going to challenge the Saffron City Gym, when Anabel stopped." Ash explained as he stepped forward, causing the girl's eyes to lock on to him, Eevee, and his Egg Container. "She sensed your emotions and started running. I followed behind."

Anabel frowned, "Normally I'm more in control of myself but... when I sensed your emotions, it was like a tidal wave had crashed into me. I was swept up into the emotions and I couldn't escape, no matter how much I tried. All I could think of was stopping the flow of emotions..." She paused for a moment, thinking back. "I didn't even know I had moved until the last remnants of that 'wave' had vanished..."

This was news to Ash. It wasn't that hard for him to have believed in Anabel's powers and he soon thought that they were cool. I mean, who wouldn't want to be able to sense the emotions of their Pokémon? That opened up so much possibilities for Pokémon Battles; knowing when your or the enemy's Pokémon was tired, for one. It had seemed really awesome.

_'Until now.'_ Ash thought with a small frown. Based on what Anabel had just said, her power did have its disadvantages. For one, it seemed that she could be 'swept away' if there was enough emotions and effectively black out as she lost control of her body.

"I see..." The girl muttered, breaking Ash out of his thoughts. Raising her head, the girl looked at them before sighing. "... I'm sorry for acting so hostile towards you guys."

XXXXXX

(Meanwhile)

Bulbasaur growled at his two captors hatefully, daring them to approach. If they took a single step towards the cage they had thrown him in earlier, he would make them pay. He had recovered from the electrical shock that the net had given him; he was ready to fight again.

Besides being ready to fight, Bulbasaur was also ready to escape. He thought that he would be able to cut the bars of his cage with a Vine Whip. He would have to do it when those two Humans weren't looking, but, if he could free the others before the Humans found out, they could escape. Get back to Melanie and make sure that she and the others that _hadn't_ been captured were okay.

"You really think that growling at us will help, weed?" Jessie sneered as she approached the small Grass-Type. Two vines escaped from the sides around the bottom of its bulb and raced towards her, only for her to grin; she had expected this. When the vines were on the outside of the cage, she pressed the button on the remote she was carrying. "Take this!"

Bulbasaur fell to the ground, screaming, as over a hundred volts of pure electricity coursed through the floor underneath him. The vines fell inches away from Jessie's face, jerking occasionally because of Bulbasaur's spasms. Jessie 'tched' at the sight of the weed; did it somehow think that it could outwit Team Rocket?

The cells seemed to be designed so that captured Pokémon did have a chance to attack. This was not true. The bars of the cells were spaced far enough apart that no Pokémon could slip through them while, if a Pokémon attempted to break or cut them, would cause the electric floor to turn on. They could also turn on the electric floor with a remote for any disobedience.

Jessie turned off the electric floor before she approached the downed weed's cage. She put away the remote and withdrew an orange collar—one of the latest gadgets in Team Rocket—from her pocket. She slipped her arm into the cage and put the collar over Bulbasaur's throat. The weed tried to stop her but it was too late; with an audible 'snap', the collar snapped shut, thus sealing Bulbasaur's fate.

"Welcome to Team Rocket, little weed." Jessie mocked as she withdrew her arm and walked away.

* * *

Ash's Pokémon Team:

Eevee (Female): Level 19.

Attacks: Tackle (Normal), Sand Attack (Normal), Scratch (Normal), Tail-Whip (Normal), Helping Hand (Normal), and Growl (Normal).

Pidgeotto (Male): Level 17.

Attacks: Sand Attack (Ground), Tackle (Normal), Gust (Flying), and Peck (Flying).

Rattata (Male): Level 16.

Attacks: Bite (Dark), Tackle (Normal), Quick Attack (Normal), Hyper Fang (Normal), Scratch (Normal), and Quick Swim (Normal).

Beedrill (Male): Level 17.

Attacks: String-Shot (Bug), Poison-Sting (Poison), Bug-Bite (Bug), Fury Attack (Normal), and Twineedle (Bug).

Clefairy (Female): Level 13.

Attacks: Sing (Normal), Pound (Normal), and Metronome (Normal).

Paras (Male): Level 15.

Attacks: PoisonPowder (Poison), Stun Spore (Grass), Sleep Powder (Grass), and Spore (Grass).

Anabel's Pokémon Team:

Abra (Male): Level 20.

Attacks: Teleport (Psychic), Psyshock (Psychic), and Confusion (Psychic).

? Unknown:

Attacks: Unknown.

Jessie's Pokémon Team:

Ekans (Male): Level 22.

Attacks: Wrap (Normal), Leer (Normal), and Poison Sting (Poison).

Jigglypuff (Female): Level 15.

Attacks: Sing (Normal) and Pound (Normal).

Pierce's Pokémon Team

Hitmonlee (Male): Level 30.

Attacks: Double Kick (Fighting).

* * *

**A/N: Author's Note: **Well, that's the end of this chapter. Tell me what you guys thought of the chapter in your reviews and/or PMs; what you liked, what you disliked, and etc. As always, flames will be ignored and/or deleted. Constructive criticism is approved and welcome.

And didn't I promise you guys that there would be a familiar face appearing in this chapter? It was Jessie, though you could also think of Bulbasaur as another familiar face... That's it. See you guys later, when I finish the next chapter.


	20. Chapter 20:

Disclaimer: I do not, nor have I ever, owned anything related to Nintendo's _Pokémon_ franchise.

* * *

Legend:

"A human or a Pokémon is talking."

'_A human or a Pokémon is thinking.'_

"**A machine is being used."**

* * *

Chapter 20:

* * *

(Route Five—The Hidden Village)

At the moment, one could currently find Ash, Anabel, and Melanie standing at the edge of the Hidden Village. They had just finished their breakfast, and the feeding of the Hidden Village's Pokémon, and were now saying their goodbyes.

Melanie shifted her feet a little, "Thank you guys for helping me out."

"It was no problem." Ash said with a small grin. "I never knew how to repair a wall before, so it was a great learning experience for us! Right guys?" Anabel nodded her head while Eevee yipped, with Ash feeling as she excitedly waved her tail.

It really had been a learning experience for all involved. Melanie—who they found to be nice and friendly—had taught them how to repair a wall and about how the Hidden Village worked. Apparently, the village was a place where sick and injured Pokémon could come and recover. Because of her hospitality, the Pokémon had stayed in the village, which had soon developed into a miniature community of Pokémon.

Melanie told of how each type of Pokémon claimed a piece of the clearing for themselves and usually stayed there. As new Pokémon came in the past, there were some disputes over territory, of which she and a Bulbasaur that she had befriended ended. It wasn't perfect but, before the attack, it was peaceful.

The atmosphere of the village had changed since then. The returning Pokémon—that hadn't been kidnapped—were cautious and wary, startling at the smallest of sounds. And, with the return of the Pokémon, came the return of territory disputes. In her condition and without Bulbasaur, Melanie alone wouldn't have been able to put a stop to it. Luckily, though, she had Anabel and Ash to help her. With them, Melanie had been able to regain control and settle the disputes.

And the Hidden Village was beginning to recover. Melanie's Pichu, unable to remember what had happened, run around the village and coaxed whatever Pokémon was near to play with her. If it weren't for Pichu, then the tension, and Melanie, wouldn't have softened.

Now though, it was finally time for Ash and Anabel to leave the Hidden Village. With the wall in Melanie's hut patched up, and the workings of the village returning to normal, Melanie had encouraged them to leave, as it wasn't their responsibility to stay. Both ten year-olds had protested this, with Ash saying that it wasn't any trouble to help her out, which had caused Melanie to tear up and hug them.

Later, once everything had calmed down, Melanie had told them that she was going to hire a couple of nearby Trainers. She would be using them to help her around the Hidden Village as she recovered as well as helping in its defense in case the two that had attacked it came back.

Anabel looked at Melanie. "Don't worry yourself too much, okay?"

"I'll try." Melanie said.

"Those Trainers that you said you called should be here soon." Ash said with a reassuring look. "And, besides that, you can give us a call whenever you want to. We might not be in Saffron City for a day or two but you can leave us a message and we'll get back to you as fast as we can."

Eevee nodded seriously before she yipped sharply. The effect was ruined by the highness of Eevee's voice, making Ash's grin grow wider before he laughed. Eye twitching, Eevee whacked him over the head with her tail, earning a "Hey!", and huffed haughtily.

This time, Melanie couldn't resist the laugh that escaped her, which caused Eevee to growl unthreateningly at her. A soft smiling Anabel was about to speak up when she caught something on the edges of her senses. Her eyes widened as she felt _something _approach her before it washed over her body. She barely had the chance to feel it before the _something_ was gone, leaving her very confused.

What had just happened?

"Thanks you guys, I needed that."

Ash's smile grew, "You're welcome, though..." He spared Eevee a glance, who turned away with a mock-sniff, causing Melanie to grin. "I don't know why Eevee is acting so weird. I mean, it's not my fault that she can't sound serious."

"Ve?!"

What? Why were they all joking around and acting as if they hadn't felt that _something_ wash over them? Hadn't they felt it? They had to have felt it. Didn't they? The more Anabel thought about it, the more she began to doubt they had even felt it at all. Neither of them had so much as flinched when she had felt it pass over her.

Was she the only one to have felt it? If so, _why_?

"—Eevee!" Anabel heard, apparently soothing Eevee as the brown Pokémon finally stopped whacking Ash in the head with her tail. Rubbing his head, Ash spared a brief glare at his now-innocent looking Pokémon before he turned back to Melanie. "Anyways, me and Anabel will call you once we got to Saffron City."

Melanie nodded, "Alright... I hope you guys have a safe trip."

"You too." Ash said before he grabbed Anabel's arm, "C'mon, Anabel!" before he ran towards the forest

As they ran, Anabel spared Melanie one more glance and saw Melanie waving to them before she winked and mouthed a "good luck" to her. In the next second, she and Ash plunged into the forests of Route Five with a red hue to her cheeks. How could Melanie have known? She hadn't made it too obvious, had she?

XXXXXX

(Meanwhile—Unknown Location)

"It seems that girl filed a police report and hired some contractors ..." Pierce mused to himself as he sat before the computer in his temporary Headquarters. He chuckled darkly, "Such a stupid girl... does she really believe hiring some baby-faced Trainers will help her if we decide to come back?"

Any number of Pokémon would be able to overcome anyone that girl may hire to protect her village. No matter their skill, they would be a mere distraction in the face Team Rocket if they were ordered they go back there, but, why would they? The Hidden Village had fulfilled its usefulness so, it was no longer needed.

The reason that it had even been needed in the first place was because of the surplus of Pokémon that had lived there. While most of them were weak, there were a few strong ones, which would be useful for what was coming up. Pierce grinned at the thought. Oh, yes. No one would suspect what was coming.

"... The Pokémon have been fitted with the collars." Jessie said as she entered the room. Pierce's grin grew before he quickly typed up a message and sent it off to the Administrator in charge of the upcoming event. His team was ready and would be waiting for the signal. He couldn't wait for it.

XXXXXX

(Route Five—With Ash and Anabel)

"... What's on your mind, Anabel?"

Ever since they had left the Hidden Village, Anabel had seemed distracted. The silence hadn't gotten to him at first but, after a certain period of time passed, he couldn't stand it anymore. Thus his question to Anabel. If he knew what was bothering Anabel, maybe he could help her and she would stop worrying about it. And talk to him.

"Ve, Eevee Ev-Ve-Eev?"

A small frown appeared on Anabel's face, "It's nothing, really. At least... I don't think so..." She shook her head slightly, trying to think of something that would explain, or help describe, the _something_ that she had felt earlier. "... Earlier, I think I felt something. It felt..." She paused, struggling to think of the word that would explain it. "It felt... It felt like some kind of water, but not_._ And it gave me the feeling of being _warm_."

"Warm?" Ash asked.

Anabel nodded, "Yeah... It felt really warm. Like I was in front of a campfire and somebody had put a big, comfy blanket over my shoulders..." She sighed. "It felt really nice, but... I want to know _why_ I felt it. I mean, neither you or Melanie seemed to feel it when I did..."

"I don't know... but I do know that I didn't feel it." He tilted his head towards Eevee and asked, "Did you feel it, Eevee?", only to get a shaking of the head. He frowned. Why did Anabel feel what she said she had, but neither he, Eevee, or Melanie feel it? "Maybe..." He began, thinking aloud. "... Maybe you felt it because of your powers?"

Yeah, that made sense. Anabel could sense emotions; maybe she could also detect something that normal people couldn't with her powers. Or another 'wave' of emotions, like she had sensed from Melanie a couple of days ago? But, if that were the case, why hadn't Anabel blacked out again?

_'Maybe... It could be the egg.' _

This stray thought immediately caught Ash's attention, surprising him. Why would he think that the egg had something had to do with this situation? Sure, no one seemed to know what this egg would hatch into, but it was still an _egg_. Eggs couldn't send out things that people, or people like Anabel, could feel. Still though, he was having a bit of trouble dismissing the thought.

"... It could be." Anabel admitted with a thoughtful expression on her face. "I still don't know everything about my power... or how to control it all the way... so, it's possible the thing I felt is related to my power..."

Eevee nodded, "Eevee Ve Ee-Ve."

But what if it wasn't a part of Anabel's power at all? What if what she felt actually had something to do with the egg? Did that mean the egg was dangerous? Ash's mind reminded him of the scene in which he first found the egg; the Clefairy and Clefable trying to destroy it. He shook his head. His Clefairy didn't have a problem with the egg. Maybe he was just overthinking things.

"Can we not talk about it anymore? If it is a part of my power, then I'll figure it out, but... I don't want you to obsess over it." Anabel's words caused his eyes to widen before he turned his head towards Anabel, seeing her looking away, looking a bit uncomfortable. "I felt you while we were talking and I know you were probably thinking about it..."

"But—"

Anabel turned her head and looked at him, her eyes asking for him to drop the issue. He didn't understand why she would want to drop it after she had brought it up, especially when he wanted to figure it out as well. But, he respected Anabel and would listen. Honestly, this was the first real request Anabel had made of him. And who was he to deny her after she had done so much and been there for him?

Ash sighed but nodded, causing Anabel to give him a faint smile. In the following minutes, all of them were silent. Anabel was the one to break the silence first, ten minutes later, by tentatively asking what he thought they should do once they got to Saffron City.

"Saffron City?"

Anabel looked at him with a funny expression on her face, "... You haven't been to Saffron City. Ash?"

"Not that I can remember."

"Saffron City is the largest city in Kanto, Ash." Anabel began to say, twisting a lock of her hair between her fingers. "It's... hard to tell somebody how big it is without them actually _being_ there... I've been there a couple times myself and I can hardly believe how big it is."

Oh, now Ash remembered. His dad had told him and his mom about Saffron City—what it looked like, how nice the people were, etc.—but he had never mentioned how big it was. While he knew that Pallet Town was a bit smaller than Viridian, Pewter, and Cerulean City, he had always thought that every other city was the same size. Anabel was probably exaggerating; there was no way that Saffron City was bigger than any of the other towns he had seen.

XXXXXX

(Route Five—Outskirts of Saffron City)

'There was no way that Saffron City was bigger than any of the other towns he had seen'? Yeah, _right_. Saffron City would outsize all of those other cities put together and multiplied by ten. Could a city even be _allowed_ to be this size?

Anabel retrieved her PokéDex back from the uniformed policeman/gate guard and walked over to him. She smiled at the stunned expression on his and Eevee's faces, "I tried to tell you guys that it was the largest city in Kanto. But, you didn't listen."

"But—How can it be so _huge_?" Ash's eyes never left the numerous skyscrapers and apartment complexes that he could see. Nor did they unglue from the sight of all those people down there, shopping bags laden in their arms as they walked through the streets. "Did a giant make this town?!"

"Eevee Ve?" Eevee asked with an impossibly cute expression on her face. Why she continued to look down at Saffron City instead of at Anabel, who she was trying to question, was anyone's mystery. The very sight caused Anabel smile while she resisted the urge to laugh.

"No, I'm pretty sure Saffron City was made by ordinary people." Anabel said before she grabbed Ash's left hand and, resisting a blush, began to pull him away from Route Five and into Saffron City. If she hadn't, he and Eevee probably would've stood there and stared down at the city for hours.

As Anabel pulled Ash along, she didn't notice how the two gate guards watched them for a moment before they burst out laughing. "Oh, _man_." One of them managed to say through his laughter. "It never gets old, does it; seeing those looks new tourists get?"

"No, it doesn't." His partner agreed.

XXXXXX

Half an hour later found Ash with Eevee on his shoulder and Anabel walking down Pikachu Avenue. Having never been there before in their lives, Ash and Eevee's eyes were locking onto each and every store window they passed, sometimes stopping in front of one to gaze at the items on display. No wonder all of the people they had seen were carrying shopping bags!

"Eevee Ve!" Eevee yipped, pointing her right forepaw at the glass doors of the _Pokémon Infinity_ store. Looking inside the store's window revealed Pokémon Infinity to be a store full of what looked like basic Pokémon supplies.

Ash looked at Eevee as she turned her head to his, kicked puppy-dog expression on his face. Having not expected this, and wanting to go in himself, he feigned resignation as he turned to Anabel. She didn't seem to buy it—noting that his emotions didn't match up with his look—but didn't say anything. Instead, she smiled at him, and they walked into Pokémon Infinity_._

"Wow..."

Pokémon Infinity did have basic Pokémon supplies and then beyond. Where the PokéMart sold small, medium, and large bags of PokéChow, Pokémon Infinity sold bags of PokéChow by _type._ They also had combinations, such as 'PokéChow: Bug/Poison', for all of the different type combinations that a Pokémon could have.

And that was just the beginning.

Taking advantage of her Trainer's awe, Eevee jumped off of his shoulder and landed on the tiled floor. Seconds later, she was running as fast as she could towards the back wall of the store. She wouldn't wait for her Trainer and his friend to walk there; someone could get there before them and take it! She couldn't allow that to happen!

"Hey! Eevee! Where are you going?!" Ash demanded as he began to chase after his wayward Pokémon. Didn't Eevee hear him? Why wasn't she listening? "What's wrong?!"

This left Anabel in a very awkward position by the front doors of the store, where everyone looked as soon as they couldn't see Ash anymore. She lowered her head underneath the sudden barrage of confusion, anger, embarrassment, humor, and a wary resignation. "I apologize..."

"Eevee! Get back here!"

There were some crashes as either Ash or Eevee knocked something over as they continued their chase. Anabel's head lowered even further as the stares on her grew in intensity, as if demanding why she had brought those two in to disrupt their shopping experience. She wondered if it would be better to throw herself off a cliff.

"Ve Eevee Ve!"

A brown blur—Eevee—jumped onto the top of one of the back most aisles to avoid Ash's grasping hands. Eevee continued to run, knocking over a couple of things that bounced off the floor and caused Ash to trip. "You're in so much trouble, Eevee!"

The glares grew. Anabel wondered where the nearest cliff was, and if there were none, was there perhaps a pool she could drown herself in? Or maybe a nearby volcano that she could throw herself into? She was leaning towards the pool, as it would cool down her flaming face before 'The End'.

"Hey! Leave her alone!" A brown-haired teenager in a cashier's uniform said with a scowl on his face. "Can't you guys see that you're making her very uncomfortable? It's not her fault that her friend's Pokémon decided to run through the store to get to—" He looked at the back of the store, where Eevee sat gnawing on a French Fry plushy. "—a teething toy!"

Anabel looked at her savior and mouthed 'Thank you', getting a shallow nod in return. She slipped away from the entrance as the cashier began to tear into the people who had been glaring at her, listing each incident that their Pokémon had caused in the store. It seemed to be working, too, as Anabel sensed the sudden embarrassment and humiliation of her silent tormentors.

By the time she made it to the back of the store, Ash had caught up to Eevee and was now holding 'her' plushy in his hand. Eevee had her forepaws on his right knee, trying to reach up and snatch it out of Ash's grasp, but it was proving unsuccessful. "No, you can't have it Eevee."

The plushy itself was shaped like a singular French Fry that one would get at a fast food restaurant, only with black eyes, a small mouth, and a set of arms and legs. A golden cape hung around its neck, accenting the golden-brown edges of the French Fry plushy.

"Ve, Ee-V-Ee? Eevee Ve?" Eevee begged as she continued to scratch Ash's jeans—making sure not to actually cut through them—with a pleading expression on her face. "Eevee Ve, Ee-V-Ee?"

"I said 'no', Eevee. You ran through the store, knocked over a lot of stuff, and you didn't listen to me when I told you to stop." Ash retorted with a stern expression on his face. This was the first time that Eevee had disobeyed him and he was _not_ going to reward her for it.

To be honest, though, Ash felt pretty weird. In and out of battle usually saw Eevee to listening and obeying his instructions. Sure, Eevee didn't always do what he asked her outside of battle, and they got into mock-arguments sometimes, but she had never outright _ignored_ him before. To actually be in this situation, denying Eevee and actually scolding her for her actions left him with a sense of weirdness.

Eevee's ears drooped at his announcement, which caused to make Ash to wonder if he was doing the right thing. Eevee had run through the store, but it was to get at a toy shaped like a French Fry. He knew all about her obsession with the food, which would explain why she hadn't listened to him. Wasn't he being a little harsh?

"Stop that, Eevee." Anabel chided quietly, causing Eevee to turn and eye her with the same pleading expression. There was a moment of silence as Eevee's pleading eyes locked with Anabel's firm eye until Eevee lowered herself and whined.

Glad that Anabel had come—even happy that she had made his choice for him—Ash felt emboldened. He looked down at Eevee and said, "Now, I'm going to place this back and then we're going to help clean up the mess we made while I was chasing you."

Eevee, ears flattened and tail tucked behind her legs, agreed with a bit of a whine. Only now was she beginning to understand that Ash was disappointed at her and what she had done. After receiving a nod from Anabel, Ash turned away and back the way he and Eevee had come, with Eevee baring the baleful looks of the few other customers around them.

"Ve..."

XXXXXX

(Saffron City—Pokémon Center—Lobby)

_"I thought I warned you not to get into anymore trouble, Ash Gohta Ketchum!"_ Delia Ketchum's voice, dangerously quiet, whispered over the Video Phone. If Ash had been at home, she would have been much louder, but Ash was in the lobby of a Pokémon Center.

Ash and Anabel had just walked into the Pokémon Center half an hour ago, after finally finding the place. As it was still relatively early, and knowing that he hadn't called his mom in a while, Ash had gone to the Video Phones after he and Anabel had gotten a room. His mother had been very happy to meet Anabel and hear about how his journey was going so far. Well, she was, until he mentioned Mt. Moon and what happened with Melanie.

"Mom—"

"_How dare you_, Ash Gohta Ketchum, not _call_ me after almost—almost—_getting hurt_ as soon as you got to Cerulean City! Or, or, telling me about how you fought those two _crooks_ from the attack on Viridian's Pokémon Center there... _twice_!" Delia demanded before she turned away from the screen, breath hitching, as a few tears leaked out of her eyes. "How could you not _tell_ me, Ash?"

At once, Ash felt his chest tighten with guilt and a bunch of other horrible emotions that he couldn't name. "Mom..." He had never meant to make his mom cry by not telling her; he had just forgotten to call her while in Cerulean. He had been distracted by Willow and then Gary's appearance and then training to beat the Cerulean City Gym. "I'm sorry, Mom..."

Delia sniffled for a few more moments before she asked him to tell her exactly why he hadn't called her 'the moment' he got to Cerulean City. Slightly relieved, Ash had told her of how he had met Willow again and the mystery of his egg, of how he had met and defeated Gary in a battle, and how he had trained his team. He explained that, at that time, he had just forgotten to call her, as he had been really busy.

And, Delia, who watched her son as he relaxed some and began to tell her about what had happened, relaxed a little too. While the hurt was still there and would take time to heal, she began to feel proud of her son's accomplishments. He had already beaten two well-known Gym Leaders and had even _invented_ a new move with his Pokémon! Who else could say that they managed to do that in a few months?

"I'm sorry..." Ash repeated again as he finished his recount of the past few weeks, looking down.

Delia took a deep breath, "... While I can't say that 'it's okay', I can say that I forgive you for not calling me. I should have listened to you explain things instead of yelling at you..." As she paused, Ash looked up at her, only for her gaze to sharpen. "But that doesn't mean, young man, that I will accept behavior like this from you in the future. I raised you better than that."

Ash's eyes widened as his mom then launched into a lecture about responsibility and what he could due to prevent things like this happening in the future. There were several mentions of getting some kind of phone—or a Pokégear—so that he would be able to call for help or call home. Also, he was reminded about letting the adults handle things, to stay safe, to change his underwear, and get a Pokégear so he could call home more often.

XXXXXX

Anabel looked up from where she was petting Abra on the lower bunk when she heard the door open and Ash walked in. He managed to stumble to the couch before he fell on it, face-first into it, and mumbled something that she couldn't understand. Looking at Abra gave her no clue as to what Ash had said, either.

On the upper bunk, Eevee opened her eyes and frowned softly at her Trainer. She hadn't understood exactly what he had said, but she had caught him muttering about 'underpants', 'mom', and 'what was a Pokégear anyway?' It was all very confusing to her but, as she was still 'grounded', she decided to leave it be. Her Trainer or his friend could figure it out.

She was _not_ still upset over the loss of that awesome, chewable toy!

"Are you okay, Ash?" Anabel asked. While she didn't have to ask, she knew it was better too, as it would allow Ash to process what he was feeling so he could answer her. Besides, not a lot of people knew of her power, so she was used to asking that question.

"Ungh..." Ash muttered as he twisted around on the couch, eyes staring at the ceiling. "Yeah... My mom just spent a lot of time telling me about my 'responsibilities' and how I should 'leave things to the adults' and stuff..." Pausing, he slowly turned to Anabel and glared accusingly at her. "You took Eevee and left me there!"

"I saw that your mom wanted to talk to you alone for a while and, as Eevee is grounded, I took her and came here. I just finished giving Abra and Butterfree baths..." Anabel said, gesturing to Abra, who 'Ra'd in response, and Butterfree, who was resting on her pillow.

In Ash's mind, Anabel said this: I saw how your mom was getting angry and ignored you when you pleaded with me with your eyes to stay. I took Eevee up with me so that you wouldn't have any excuse to avoid your mother. I gave Abra and Butterfree baths so that I could use that as excuse to tell you when you got up here. See, look at them!

But, as much as Ash wanted to blame her, he knew that it would have happened eventually. Didn't mean that he had to like it, or that he didn't think of Anabel as a 'traitor', but he couldn't really blame her. If Anabel had been in his situation, he probably would've done the same thing. "... They smell nice."

"Free~" Butterfree perked up a bit, having heard Ash's compliment, before ducking her head when Ash glanced at her. "Butterfree free..."

Butterfree resembled a vaguely anthropomorphic butterfly. Her main body was colored purple while her four legs were a pale blue. She also had a nose-like structure that of the same color, which was unusual, since most Bug-Type Pokémon didn't _have_ noses. To finish it off, she had a pair of red, compound eyes and large veined wings with swirl-shaped black markings on them.

Anabel smiled, "Thanks. There are still a couple of bottles of shampoo and some towels in the bathroom." What she wasn't telling him was that their bathroom actually had a small bathtub for Pokémon alongside the standard toilet, a shower, and sink. It was another one of the perks of being in Saffron City and, if she told him, it would ruin it for him.

"Ve Ee-V-Ee?" Eevee asked, perking up.

Ash groaned—knowing he should've seen this coming as soon as Anabel mentioned 'baths'—but not realizing the danger until it was too late. It wasn't as if he disliked giving his Pokémon baths, as his mom had drilled into him the fact that he would need to bathe them to keep them clean and happier. No, the danger came from Eevee. She absolutely adored 'bath time' but she was really, really picky about the water temperature, how he washed her, how he dried her, and etc.

While Ash was thinking of the horrors Eevee would soon put him through, Eevee jumped down from the bunk and rushed over to him. She jumped onto his back and began to chant "Ve" over and over in an attempt to get him up. It was _bath_ time! Yay! Bath time, bath time, bath time!

"Alright, Eevee... just let me get up and then you guys can take a bath." Ash sighed. This caused Eevee to lick his face happily before she jumped off of him. He groaned, sat up, gave Anabel a 'I blame you' look, and walked towards the bathroom.

Anabel waited for a few seconds and smiled when she heard Eevee squeal and Ash groan. She heard Eevee yipping something fierce and then Ash mumble something, seconds before the water was turned on. She soon returned to grooming Abra, hearing the occasional splashes as Eevee and then the rest of Ash's Pokémon took baths. She had moved onto reading a book when the last of Ash's team exited the bathroom, chattering happily and clean.

Their Trainer followed them behind, shirt soaked, hair messier than usual, and radiating wariness. Anabel absently wondered as if she had heard wrong, as nothing she had heard would explain the reason Ash look and was feeling right now. "What's wrong?"

Ash glanced at his Pokémon as they settled down on the floor, the couch, or his bunk. "I never washed more than four before..." He moved to the couch and then collapsed on it, scooting Rattata aside. He groaned when Clefairy plopped down on his lap and began snuggling him. Anabel laughed. "Fine! Laugh it up... I just won't help _you_ when you have six Pokémon waiting to get their baths..."

The laughter stopped as Anabel turned wide, horrified eyes to her friend. "You wouldn't leave me alone to do that Ash... would you?"

"Maybe..." Ash said.

XXXXXX

(The next day—Pokémon Center—Cafeteria)

After everyone woke up, Anabel led 'the horde' out of the room and down towards the cafeteria for some much needed food. She secured a table for everyone while Ash got their food. She set out all of the Pokémon's bowls and filled them up with the bag of PokéChow Ash was juggling alongside two trays of food. Once she took it from him, he set the trays down and then went to help her pour equal portions into the eight bowls.

Once they finished, their Pokémon descended upon the food like it was their worst enemy. Anabel chuckled, "They must be really hungry today."

"I bet."

Both Trainers sat down at the table and began digging into their own food. It became obvious that Ash was the hungrier out of the two of them, or enjoyed the food more, as he dug into the food with a gusto rivaled only by their Pokémon. Anabel, on the other hand, seemed to eat more slowly. Or at least being careful enough not to accidentally swallow her fork, like Ash came close to doing a couple of times.

"What do you want to do today?" Anabel asked after swallowing a forkful of scrambled eggs.

Ash 'hm'-ed in thought as he drank some of his orange juice, then stabbed a piece of brown sausage and ate it. "Well, we didn't get much of a chance to explore yesterday... after Eevee and I made a mess in that store..." He had the decency to blush and look away, "So... maybe we could look around? See what Saffron has to offer?"

"I thought that you would want to find the Saffron Gym right away." Anabel said, surprised. It did seem somewhat of a growing routine for them: find the Pokémon Gym of the city/town, train to face that Gym, face the Gym Leader, get to another city, and repeat.

Ash shook his head, "I want to do that but... this place is really big and you said that it is the largest city in Kanto." He looked over to the side, where there Pokémon were now eating their breakfasts at a respectable speed. "... I just want to, you know, look around and maybe buy some stuff? I mean, we do have some extra money on hand and—"

"I didn't ask that because I thought that it wasn't a good idea, Ash." Anabel interrupted and then, realizing what she had just done, lowered her head to cover her sudden, furious blush. "... I said that because that's what we usually seem to _do_." Cheeks still red, she looked up at him, shyly, and said. "I wouldn't mind doing something different, though."

"Great!"

XXXXXX

An hour later found Anabel and Ash, who was holding his Egg Carrier, in the Pokémon Infinity store again. While both of them were wary about returning to the store, especially after what happened yesterday, it was better than most other stores. And that bias was without even mentioning the variety of goods that Pokémon Infinity provided.

Of course, that didn't mean that they hadn't gotten anything from some of the other stores. Ash had gotten a blue Pokégear and had been convinced to get a sticker sheet that had all of Kanto's native Pokémon on it, as it would 'help him identify which Poké Ball belonged to which Pokémon'. In all fairness, it was a good thing for Trainers without perfect memory to get, though Anabel thought it should've been included in the Newbie Pack. Speaking of Anabel, the purple-haired girl had bought herself a sticker packet, some 'scrunchies', and silverware set for Abra to practice on.

Right now, though, both Trainers could be found standing in an aisle dedicated to Poké Balls. Like everything else in the store, the Poké Balls came in different varieties. Neither Ash nor Anabel had heard of anything besides a standard Poké Ball before, so this stuff was all new to them. And they _loved_ it.

"Look at this one, Ash." Anabel said, pointing to a particular package of pink Poké Balls. Ash was repulsed by the color and was about to turn away to go back to looking at the 'Net Balls' until he glanced at the name: Heal Balls. He grabbed a package and turned it over, reading the back.

* * *

_Heal Balls:_

_These are a special type of Poké Balls that can restore a newly captured Pokémon to full health. Heal Balls can also heal Pokémon, even after the initial capture, albeit more slowly. **Warning**: Heal Balls cannot completely heal life-threatening wounds, only begin to heal them. The recommended course of action, when faced when a severely injured Pokémon, is to return it to its Heal Ball and head towards the nearest Pokémon Center._

* * *

As Ash finished reading that, he turned the Heal Balls package over and looked at it again. He could see the use in Poké Balls such as these. In fact, if Clefairy had been recaught in one of these Poké Balls, she would've been healed much faster. Not as to say that it would've healed her completely, but her injuries would've been lessened to a great extent.

"They do seem pretty useful..." Ash agreed.

With that, Ash put the package into the shopping basket that had been resting on his elbow. It was agreed, silently, that they would split the Heal Balls amongst themselves. One never knew when the need for such Poké Balls would arise, but with the stuff they had been through, it didn't help to be prepared.

That done, both Trainers continued to browse around the aisle, looking for anymore special Poké Balls that could be useful to them. They didn't have any need for the Moon Balls or the Level Balls—who had the time to check the Pokémon they wanted to catch's level?—but some of the others looked good. Examples of the 'good' ones were the Heavy Balls, Fast Balls, Lure Balls, Dive Balls, and Net Balls.

While most of the 'good ones' were only to make catching certain types of Pokémon easier, it was necessary. Ordinary Poké Balls _could_ catch the heavier Pokémon that the Heavy Balls caught with ease, but it was much more difficult. On the other hand, were they _really_ necessary?

"I think I might get a package of Heavy Balls and another one of Net Balls... but, I'm not sure about anything else." Ash admitted as he and Anabel continued to look at all of the available Poké Balls. "It doesn't mean that I don't think that they aren't awesome—because they look really cool—but they don't seem really necessary."

Anabel took on a thoughtful expression, "I kind of agree with you. I think that these were made to make catching easier and faster too."

"Seems like it."

"... I think I'll just get the Heal Balls and spilt them with you while you get what you want." Anabel said and then frowned. "I appreciate that the company that made these Poké Balls, but I'm more interested in Psychic-Type Pokémon than anything else. If there were a Ball to make catching them easier, then I'll buy the store out... until then, though, I'll stick to regular Poké Balls."

"And may that store that has those type of Poké Balls fear the day you walk into it." Ash stated in a teasing manner, causing Anabel to blush. She then hit him in the shoulder, more like a simple nudge, causing him to say, "Hey! That could've hurt!"

"Ash!" Sweet, soft-spoken Anabel was now looking at him with fire in her eyes. She apparently hadn't taken that little crack on her strength, or lack of, that well. He put up a disarming grin but she just took a step forward, like a Pidgey about to pounce on an unsuspecting Caterpie.

"Can... Can we talk about this?"

Anabel paused, "Yes." Ash was about to sigh in relief when that unholy gleam returned to her eyes. "We can talk about this _after_ I teach you a lesson."

While Ash tried in vain to stop Anabel before she could 'teach him a lesson', neither Trainer noticed the woman glancing at them at the end of the aisle. She observed the two for a moment more and then slipped away, knowing that their conflict would move over to where she had been. _'I'll have to do something about that... They're practically _feeding_ off of each other.'_

* * *

Ash's Pokémon Team:

Eevee (Female): Level 19.

Attacks: Tackle (Normal), Sand Attack (Normal), Scratch (Normal), Tail-Whip (Normal), Helping Hand (Normal), Growl (Normal), and Bite (Dark).

Pidgeotto (Male): Level 17.

Attacks: Sand Attack (Ground), Tackle (Normal), Gust (Flying), Peck (Flying), and Whirlwind (Flying).

Rattata (Male): Level 16.

Attacks: Bite (Dark), Tackle (Normal), Quick Attack (Normal), Hyper Fang (Normal), Scratch (Normal), and Quick Swim (Normal).

Beedrill (Male): Level 17.

Attacks: String-Shot (Bug), Poison-Sting (Poison), Bug-Bite (Bug), Fury Attack (Normal), and Twineedle (Bug).

Clefairy (Female): Level 13.

Attacks: Sing (Normal), Pound (Normal), and Metronome (Normal).

Paras (Male): Level 15.

Attacks: PoisonPowder (Poison), Stun Spore (Grass), Sleep Powder (Grass), and Spore (Grass).

Anabel's Pokémon Team:

Abra (Male): Level 20.

Attacks: Teleport (Psychic), Psyshock (Psychic), Confusion (Psychic), and Psychic (Psychic).

Butterfree (Female): Level 15.

Attacks: Confusion (Psychic), Poisonpowder (Poison), Stun Spore (Grass), Harden (Bug), Sleep Powder (Grass), and String Shot (Bug).

* * *

**A/N: Author's Note:** Mostly a filler chapter, but a necessary one. We get to see that Eevee has a naughty side and a French Fry obsession. We also get the first cameo of Anabel's Butterfree, got to see Ash get in trouble, and saw Ash and Anabel's first glimpse at different Poké Balls! And who was that woman at the end and what did she _mean_? "Feeding off of each other"?

You guys know the drill: tell me what you thoughts in your reviews or PMs. I'll accept comments, constructive criticism, and how to make the chapter better... but flames will be ignored.


	21. Chapter 21:

Disclaimer: I do not, nor have I ever, owned anything related to Nintendo's _Pokémon_ franchise.

* * *

Legend:

"A human or a Pokémon is talking."

'_A human or a Pokémon is thinking.'_

"**A machine is being used."**

* * *

Chapter 21:

* * *

(Saffron City—Pokémon Center—Lobby)

It was a severely chastised Ash and a smiling Anabel that entered the lobby of their temporary residence, arms bearing the weight of their shopping bags. It had been a good day so far, bar Anabel chewing him out in that one store, but it was now it was time for lunch. They could have gone to one of the cafes or restaurants they had seen but neither of them wanted to eat before they had put away their recent purchases.

Ash had been tempted a couple of times near some restaurants with open doorways, but Anabel had pulled him away just before he could give in. She had told him that, when they finished eating, they wouldn't want to trudge their ways back to the Center with their bags. And, she had said, they also needed to feed their Pokémon.

"Do you want to head to that pizza place after we put our stuff away?" Ash asked as they made their way towards the elevator. Unlike most Pokémon Centers, this one had an elevator, because it had ten floors as opposed to the usual three or four floors. No sane person would want to walk up ten flights of stairs.

Anabel pressed the 'up' button and nodded, "I'm in the mood for pizza. Besides, I saw a couple of Pokémon in there, so ours should be able to eat there too." The elevator's door opened and both Trainers walked inside, "If we can't or it'll cost too much money, then we can just come back here and feed them."

Neither Ash nor Anabel noticed the purple-haired woman who had just entered the lobby. Nor did they feel the weight of the woman's eyes on them as the elevator's doors slid shut: too busy discussing what kind of pizza they wanted and asking each other about their favorite kind of pizza.

'_I see, now...'_ The woman thought to herself as she took a seat on a nearby couch. She would wait for the two pre-teens to come back into the lobby before she made her move. She would have to make sure not to startle them, or get them angry at her. She didn't need to deal with the fallout if the boy, Ash, turned his gift on her.

XXXXXX

After putting their stuff away in their room, Ash and Anabel went back down the elevator and toward the Pokémon Center's entrance. Before they could get there, however, they were intercepted by a woman with pale skin, back-length purple hair, and dark-blue eyes. She was wearing a long-sleeved red shirt with yellow buttons, black pants, and black pants. "Can I talk to you two for a moment?"

The very sight of this woman caused Anabel to start staring at her in stunned awe. This was the woman that she had wished she could be when she was younger and her inspiration. One of the most powerful Psychics in the world, the Gym Leader of Saffron's Pokémon Gym, and the dutiful teacher of any Psychics that wandered into her care—

"Sure." Ash said.

The woman smiled a little bit, "Thank you. I don't believe you have heard of me, young man, but my name is Sabrina. I run the Pokémon Gym here in Saffron City, which is the only Psychic-Type Gym in Kanto."

Now it was Ash's turn to stare at the woman, Sabrina, with a shocked expression on his face. He honestly hadn't expected the woman to say that she was Saffron's Gym Leader. He had thought that she just wanted to ask him a question or maybe say he had dropped something from one of his and Anabel's' bags. What purpose did Saffron's Gym Leader have talking to them?

"Can we take this conversation somewhere private?" Sabrina asked.

"Yeah." Came the stunned response.

Sabrina thanked them with a smile before she withdrew a standard Poké Ball from her sleeve. The Poké Ball rose from her fingers to float into the air before, with the customary flash of light, one of Sabrina's Pokémon was revealed. It startled both of them to see it, as it looked like an older, more powerful, version of Abra. "Kadabra." It said.

Kadabra had two large ears of the top of either side of its head, a red star on its forehead, and two black eyes. Its eyes led down to its nose and mouth and its short mustache that grew out on the narrower section of its face. On both of its arms, there were brown sections that are located on the shoulder. Its arms were thin and consisted of yellow skin. Its hands each had three fingers. Its brown torso looked like a fauld with an insect-like abdomen below it, which had three red wavy lines. Attached to this abdomen was a huge, thick tail, which was mostly yellow with a brown band circling it. Its legs were very thin and yellow. Its feet each had three toes: two in the front on each side, and one in the back near the ankle.

_'Kadabra... Teleport.'_ Sabrina commanded to her first, and most faithful, Pokémon. When it nodded and reached out to touch Ash and Anabel, she put a hand on Kadabra. "We'll be going to my office in the Saffron Gym to talk."

It was only after Ash and Anabel nodded their heads did the four of them teleport away. To the three Trainers, it felt as if warm water was being poured over their bodies while they were being squeezed through a narrow tube. To say the least, it was slightly uncomfortable but, before they could notice that, the group appeared at their destination.

"Whoa..." Ash said dizzily, almost falling to the ground, but managing to grab the edge of something to steady himself. If Eevee wasn't in her Poké Ball, as she was still grounded and they didn't want to leave her at the Pokémon Center, she probably would've fallen over a few times or threw up. He was feeling a bit nauseous himself. "What a rush..."

Anabel lay collapsed into a nearby chair, dizzy. "Yeah. I never knew that it was possible to teleport people..."

"It isn't possible for Psychic Pokémon in the wild to teleport other Pokémon or humans, but it is possible for trained Psychic-Type Pokémon to do such." Sabrina informed the two Trainers as she recalled her Kadabra and walked to the chair behind her desk. She smiled, "It's one of the services this Gym makes additional revenue."

"What?"

"You see, each Pokémon Gym receives a stipend from the city or town they are situated in. This stipend usually covers the basic necessities of the Gym, but not always. Gyms also make money if a Trainer loses against the Gym Leader or joins a program that the Gym makes available." Sabrina explained informatively.

Oh. All Gyms did that? Ash knew that Cerulean City offered some programs but he hadn't thought that other Gyms did that as well. Thinking about it, it made sense as well as bringing up some more questions. How much programs did a standard Gym offer? He knew that the one in Cerulean City offered swimming lessons (for both people and Pokémon), water aerobics, fishing lessons, and surfing lessons.

Did all Gyms have the same number of programs?

Seeing Ash and Anabel's interest in the subject, Sabrina continued talking. "This Gym's main service is 'Teleport Transport' where, for a small sum of money, we have a Psychic Pokémon transport someone to a destination of their choice. We have a number of businesses here in Saffron that hire us so that they can transport their merchandise." She then paused, thinking. "Some of the human Psychics here do mind or tarot card-readings, but that is on the side and not directly connected to the Gym."

'Teleport Transport' was a really amazing idea. Not only did the Gym made money, it would allow the user of the service to go anywhere they wanted to in the blink of an eye. Trainers probably used the service to teleport back home for a bit, pick something up in another city, go back to a place they had been to before, and etc. The possibilities seemed endless.

"Wow."

Sabrina smiled at the awed expressions on their faces, "Yes, we have quite the system working for us." Her smile vanished as she released a breath of air, shaking her head. "Unfortunately, though, I did not want to talk to you about about the Teleport Transport system. And I'm afraid that what we are going to talk about won't be as pleasant."

This statement caused both Ash and Anabel to snap to attention. Both of them had wondered why Sabrina would deliberately seek them out so that they could talk. 'Talk' about what was anyone's guess, though, judging by the expression on Sabrina's face, it 'wasn't pleasant'.

"Earlier this afternoon, I was in the Pokémon Infinity store when I spotted both of you. I wouldn't have taken that much until I detected a wave of sorts that was trying to influence my emotions: trying to make me feel more calm and happier than I was." Sabrina paused to take in both the confused and horrified expressions on their faces. "I traced back the source of the 'wave' to you, Ash."

"I'm sorry for—" Anabel, believing that the 'wave' to be her fault, began to say. She froze, mid-speech, as Sabrina's last few words reached her ears. "Wait... _what_?"

Ash looked equally confused, "What are you talking about? Anabel is the only one of us with powers..."

"While Anabel's Empathic gifts do play a factor into this, I can assure you that wave came from you, Ash. You seem to radiate a natural 'field' of calmness and safety that makes people naturally comfortable in your presence."

'_... Could that be why Clefairy acted that way?' _Ash wondered in dawning realization as he remembered his first meeting with Clefairy. Nurse Joy had told him that she had been crying when he had left the Pokémon Center and then rushed to him as soon as he returned. _'Could she have been running towards me because of this 'field'...?'_

Anabel frowned slightly, "Not that I want to argue with you, Ms. Sabrina, but... like you said, I am a Empath. I think I would have sensed this 'field' you are speaking of if it existed."

"That is where in lies the problem, Anabel. I know you have fallen under the thrall of this field and your mind has latched onto it to protect itself from your gift." Sabrina responded before she sighed, covering her eyes with her hand. "Uncontrolled Empaths like yourself cannot deal with large 'waves' of emotions, so they usually avoid large crowds of people and towns. I'm sure that you have realized this?"

Anabel sat back in her seat, frowning. Of course she had realized that being around a large number of people had always given her headaches and gave her mood swings. It was the reason that her family had made her stay inside most of the time as, inside, she didn't have the mood swings and her headaches were practically non-existent.

It had been a chore to convince her parents that she was ready to become a Pokémon Trainer. She had to convince them that she was fine being around other people and had practiced schooling her expressions to hide the obvious signs of a headache. She had also had to control herself a bit more when around a lot of other people but, she had done it. Her parents had been convinced and she was allowed to go on her own journey.

Of course, it hadn't ended there. While she had been able to control herself more, she usually avoided large cities as she travelled. By time, she had made it to Mt. Moon and was training around it. It was where she had met Ash and offered to take him to Cerulean City, as she had thought she had gained more control over her powers to control herself in crowds. She had never expected all of the things that happened on Mt. Moon, becoming friends with Ash, and then developing a small crush on him.

Maybe the 'field' that Sabrina was talking about explained the reason she had been able to stand going into Cerulean City. But the question was how? How would this 'field' protect her from her own empathic powers?

"What are you talking about? 'Uncontrolled Empaths'? Anabel has been in control of her abilities since I met her." Ash said with a small frown on her face. The belief that Ash associated with his words caused Anabel's cheeks to flush as she lowered her head.

_'Oh, Ash...'_ She thought.

"That is the point that I was going to bring up next: if a Empath can't control his or her abilities, they have the tendency to latch onto a specific person to 'achor' them." Sabrina explained, hands folding in front of herself on her desk. "These 'achors' are who the Empath focuses on most, which allows them to 'mute out' all but the strongest of emotions if they so wish."

Ash frowned, "So... you're saying that I'm Anabel's... 'achor'?"

"I am. Ordinarily it wouldn't be that much of a problem, but your calm field and Anabel's empathy are essentially feeding off of one another." Sabrina responded. There was only a moment's pause as she watched the two Trainers digest the information and then:

"What?"

"Anabel's mind has anchored itself to you Ash in an attempt to protect Anabel from her empathy. She 'feeds' off of you by drawing from your calm field and using it to sooth Anabel's headaches to the point where she can't notice them as well as get rid of her mood-swings." Sabrina answered grimly. "And Ash's calm field 'feeds' off of Anabel by using her powers to extend itself beyond the range that it is normally capable of."

"How is that bad, though?" Ash asked.

Sabrina began to tap her fingers on the desk, "It's 'bad' because, if you were ever to separate from Anabel, she wouldn't be able to deal with the influx of emotions that she could detect. They would overwhelm her mind and destroy it, as she wouldn't be able to control her powers, causing her to go insane. And without Anabel for your gift to feed off of, Ash, your gift will collapse in on itself while trying to find a way to sustain itself."

Throughout Sabrina's explanation as to her theories on what could happen to them, Ash and Anabel had paled significantly. They looked at each other and shivered. Not in a sudden disgust of the other, but a shared fear of what could happen to them if what Sabrina said was true.

The way that Sabrina spoke, however, made them believe that she was telling the truth. She seemed like a woman who wouldn't mince words, preferring to get straight to the point rather than idly chit-chat. The conversation about what her Gym did was to distract them from the tension of meeting her. She probably knew that they would need to be open minded, so she had waited until they were more relaxed and open-minded.

Very clever of her.

"So..." Ash paused to swallow a lump in his throat. "So... you're saying that... if Anabel or I leave each other, then she will..." He choked, unable to even think of what would happen to his friend, let alone _say_ it.

Anabel simply looked horrified. She was was shaking in her chair, eyes wide with terror. She felt that same rush of _something_ she had a couple days ago, calming her down slightly. She leaned into the comforting touch of it, of Ash's 'field', and tried to stop shaking.

Sabrina nodded, "That is if you and Anabel continued to be untrained in each of your respective gifts. While I am not am Empath myself, training to control empathic powers if very similar to a Psychic learning to control his or her powers." Her eyes glowed a bright blue as her left desk drawer opened and a small pamphlet levitated out of it and into Anabel's hands. "I can train you to control your powers so that, if you separate from Ash, they will not overwhelm you."

"What... What about Ash?" Anabel whispered.

"I... have not seen or heard of anything similar to Ash's powers except within vague mentions in texts. I also cannot train him, as his power comes more from his body while your empathic and my psychic abilities come from the mind." Sabrina admitted with a frown.

"What does that mean?" Ash asked.

"Empathy and psychic powers stem from and are directly related to the brain. This is because psychic abilities require you to use your mind to use the abilities associated with it, which is the same with empathy." Sabrina explained. "Your ability, however, stems from your body. It seems to permeate from your skin and travel in continuous 'pulses' towards the edge of the 'field'."

"I see." Ash said, though he really didn't.

"What do you think is going to... happen... to Ash if I learn to control my empathy, Ms. Sabrina?" Anabel asked.

Sabrina closed her eyes for a moment, "I believe that, if you learn to control your powers, you will become able to sever your anchor with Ash over a period of time that could wean his 'field' off your powers. I don't know how long that would take, or how well it worked, but, if you do that, it should prevent either of you from experiencing negative side effects should you spilt up."

"... Can we go now?"

Sabrina and Anabel turned to look at Ash, who was looking at the floor. He seemed decidedly uncomfortable based on his posture and their was a slight shaking to his shoulders. Sabrina took a brief, unnoticeable, glance at his thoughts and before she inclined her head.

"Of course you can." She withdrew Kadabra's Poké Ball and released her to the right of her, '_Kadabra... would you mind Teleporting these two back to the Pokémon Center?'_

Kadabra gave a brief nod, _'Of course, Sabrina...'_ She teleported over to the space in-between Ash and Anabel's chairs before she put a hand on each of their heads. _'Hold on. We will be leaving... _now'

As soon as Kadabra said 'now', she and the two pre-teen Pokémon Trainers were teleported away. Sabrina looked at the places where they had been sitting and felt for them. She had just dropped a major bombshell on them that would probably make them question their friendship with each other. She already knew that Ash had started to think that way but she knew that it wasn't her place to interfere.

They would need to work that out themselves.

XXXXXX

(Saffron City—Pokémon Center—Anabel & Ash's Room)

"Ash..." Anabel asked as she entered the room, seeing her friend laying on his bunk with his back to her. She was concerned since he had practically stormed away from her the moment Ms. Sabrina's Kadabra had deposited them back. She was hurt though she could feel that Ash was hurting a lot as well. "Ash... are you okay?"

Ash was silent for a couple of moments, "I... No, I'm not."

Of all the things that he had expected today, he had never expected for this. He had never for Saffron City's _Gym Leader_ to accost him and Anabel in the lobby, teleport them into her office, and then drop a bomb of epic proportions onto life as he knew it. He was still reeling from what he had learned and beginning to doubt everything.

Did his Pokémon like and obey him because his 'field'? If he was to suddenly lose it, would they still want him as their Trainer? And what about his friends? Had they really been his friends or had his 'field' drawn them to him and made them his friends? How could he even face them after this revelation?

How could he face Anabel?

"Ash... I know what Ms. Sabrina said was a bit... disturbing... but she has offered to help us." Anabel said, taking a step toward her friend. "None of the consequences she mentioned will happen if we follow her directions and—"

"Then what?" Ash interrupted with an unseen frown. "Then what will happen, Anabel? Will you leave me once you get your powers under control and discover that my field has been _making_ you like me?" He angrily wiped away his tears, still not facing her. "Will you start to... h-hate me because of it? Or W-Willow or Harry?"

What? Anabel's own eyes teared up as she began to understand what Ash was saying. Ms. Sabrina had dropped a huge bombshell on them and it had shaken Ash's belief in himself. It was making him start to doubt that if his friends were really his friends or not. He was afraid that they weren't and that his field had _made_ them become his friends.

"Oh, _Ash_... I could never hate you." Anabel said. When he didn't respond except to shake his head, she walked the distance separating them and climbed up to his bunk. "I could never hate you, Ash." She reached over and pulled him over to her, "And I will _always_ be your friend: field or no field."

"H-How do you know that the field isn't making you say that?" Ash whispered.

"Because I didn't become your friend becuase your field comforted me or made me feel safe. I became your friend because I talked to you and got to know you on Mt. Moon. I became your friend because of how strong and confident you are and how you treat your Pokémon." Anabel answered, eyes soft. "I became your friend because _I_ like you Ash."

Ash grabbed at the shoulders of Anabel's shirt and put his head on her chest, sobbing. The majority of him wanted to believe what Anabel was saying was true but another, smaller part, didn't. It made him question if Anabel meant it and if she really had become his friend because _she_ wanted to be.

"Just remember that _I_ chose to be your friend, Ash." Anabel asked of him as she began to pat his back. "I make my own decisions and _I_ chose to become your friend. _I_ chose to travel with you past Mt. Moon. _I_ chose to stay with you in Cerulean City. _I_ told you that I would stay with you as long as you need me and that I made that decision on my _own_."

"I-I'll... I'll try..."

XXXXXX

"Foon-gus, foon-gu~!" Foongus chanted as she patted down the soil around a newly planted flower. When she was finished, she looked up to her mommy and smiled. "Foongus Fo, Fo-gu! Foongus gus Foon Fo-gu~!"

Delia smiled at her little Pokémon, "Yes. You did a wonderful job, Foongus." Starting to get up, she reached out and grabbed Foongus, who chattered happily. "Okay, Foongus... Let's go inside and get cleaned up. Then we can have lunch!"

"Gus? Foon!" Foongus cheered.

**"****Ring, ring, ring! Phone call! Phone call! Ring, ring, ring! Phone call!"**

"Who could be calling now?" Delia wondered as she walked into the living room. She adjusted Foongus a little bit before she picked up the phone, "Hello? This is the Ketchum Residence. Delia speaking."

"Hello, Mrs. Ketchum." A feminine voice began. "You might not know of me, but I am Sabrina, the Gym Leader in Saffron City."

Delia's eyes widened. Not know of Sabrina? Of course she knew about Sabrina; everyone did. Sabrina was one of, if not the best, human Psychics in Kanto. She was mentioned every time someone talked about Psychic-Type Pokémon. And the woman's list of achievements in that field, well, they were simply amazing.

"O-Of course I know about you." Delia finaly answered. Her eyebrows scrunched up in confusion, "But... Why are you calling me?"

Sabrina sighed through the phone, "You see, Mrs. Ketchum, I met your son recently and I wanted to ask you a few questions. Before you ask, I will tell you that he is fine right now but he could be in a bit of trouble."

"Tell me everything."

XXXXXX

(Meanwhile—Saffron City—Team Rocket base)

"What is the plan of attack for the operation?"

In response to that question, Domino clapped her hands and the lights flickered off. At the same time, a 3D projection of Saffron City appeared on the meeting table with several red spots on it. "As I am sure that all of you know, the main point of this operation is to invade Silph Co.'s HQ and steal the blueprints for the supposed 'Master Ball' they are developing."

Everyone else in the room nodded. They knew, for the Boss' plan to come to frutition, Team Rocket needed to be able to make a Master Ball; a Poké Ball said to have the power to catch Legendary Pokémon. If Team Rocket got their hands on that, then their next operation would be made much, _much _easier.

"To complete this operation, we will need to incapitate Sabrina's Pokémon Gym, Kiyo's Pokémon Dojo, the Magnet Train station, and the Pokémon Center at the same time. These areas will provide the most trouble for us once the operation begins, so we will need to attack them while the main operation is going on." Domino explained, pointing at a red dot that corresponded with each location she mentioned.

Sabrina was one of the most powerful Psychics in the world. She could read minds, levitate, teleport, form force fields, and use telekinesis. She had also been rumored to have the ability to transfer someone's consciousness into small toys (during the period of time in which she had been completely insane). Adding to this was the fact that Sabrina wouldn't be alone, as she had an arsenal of budding human Psychics and Psychic-Type Pokémon.

To take her out, the Boss had ordered for two platoons of their best Bug-Type and Dark-Type Pokémon-wielding grunts to storm the Pokémon Gym when the operation begun. Team Rocket hoped that the type advantage they would have would allow them to cull Sabrina's powerbase and make her unable to join in the defending of the city. Of course, the higher-ups were aware that those grunts may not come back, but they would be acceptable losses.

Unlike Sabrina, though, Kiyo had no extraordinary abilities to speak of. What made him a thorn in Team Rocket's side was the fact that he was physically powerful and, like Sabrina, had a small platoon of martial arts practioneers to back him up. Not to metion his Fighting-Type Pokémon, which Kiyo was continously training to become ever-better.

It was ironic, to Domino, that they would be taking out Kiyo's Dojo with their own human psychics/Psychic-Type Pokémon. Fighting-Type Pokémon had a natural weakness against Psychic-Types and, if the Pokémon of Kiyo's Dojo couldn't attac, then the dojo would fall pretty quickly. And once the Fighting-Type Pokémon had been taken care of, they would simply have to knock Kiyo and his students unconscious.

The Magnet Train station would be one of the places where the most Pokémon Trainers, beside the Pokémon Center, would be. It was because of that fact that the Magnet Train needed to be stopped, as they could not allow all of those Trainers there to 'help out' in the defending of Saffron City. If they did, it would severly complicate the upcoming operation and more difficult than it had rights to be.

Team Rocket would take out the Magnet Train station by detonatting the explosives that they had set on the rails the night before the operation. This would disallow the Magnet Train from reaching Saffron City, as it was curently in Johto, thus limiting the number of Trainers there. Even so, the Boss had ordered three platoons worth of Rockets to storm and then occupy the station.

The Pokémon Center, though, would require a not as firm 'hand' depending on the time the operation would begin. Most Trainers would've left after that time, so they probably wouldn't need to send more than fifty to a hundred Rockets to it. After all, Nurse Joy and her team of nurse Pokémon wouldn't be able to fight, let alone stand up against fifty Rockets.

Explaining all of this to the leaders of each group that were going to be involved in the operation, though, was very difficult. Domino simply couldn't understand why the majority of people were so incompetent and hard-headed. _'Oh, well...'_ She thought with a hidden smirk. _'That just makes them all the more... expendable.'_

* * *

Ash's Pokémon Team:

Eevee (Female): Level 20.

Attacks: Tackle (Normal), Sand Attack (Normal), Scratch (Normal), Tail-Whip (Normal), Helping Hand (Normal), Growl (Normal), Bite (Dark), and Quick Attack (Normal).

Pidgeotto (Male): Level 17.

Attacks: Sand Attack (Ground), Tackle (Normal), Gust (Flying), Peck (Flying), and Whirlwind (Flying).

Rattata (Male): Level 19.

Attacks: Bite (Dark), Tackle (Normal), Quick Attack (Normal), Hyper Fang (Normal), Scratch (Normal), Pursuit (Dark), and Quick Swim (Normal).

Beedrill (Male): Level 18.

Attacks: String-Shot (Bug), Poison-Sting (Poison), Bug-Bite (Bug), Fury Attack (Normal), and Twineedle (Bug).

Clefairy (Female): Level 14.

Attacks: Sing (Normal), Pound (Normal), Metronome (Normal), DoubleSlap (Normal), and Defense Curl (Normal).

Paras (Male): Level 17.

Attacks: PoisonPowder (Poison), Stun Spore (Grass), Sleep Powder (Grass), Spore (Grass), Leech Life (Bug), and Fury Cutter (Bug).

Anabel's Pokémon Team:

Abra (Male): Level 22.

Attacks: Teleport (Psychic), Psyshock (Psychic), Confusion (Psychic), and Psychic (Psychic).

Butterfree (Female): Level 17.

Attacks: Confusion (Psychic), Poisonpowder (Poison), Stun Spore (Grass), Harden (Bug), Sleep Powder (Grass), and String Shot (Bug).

Sabrina's Pokémon Team:

Kadabra (Female): Level 40.

Attacks: Psychic (Psychic), Teleport (Psychic), Psyshock (Psychic), Confusion (Psychic), Kinesis (Psychic), Disable (Normal), Miracle Eye (Psychic), Ally Switch (Psychic), Psybeam (Psychic), Reflect (Psychic), Telekinesis (Psychic), Recover (Normal), Psycho Cut (Psychic), and Future Sight (Psychic).

* * *

**A/N: Author's Note: **I bet none of you guys expected that when Sabrina mentioned that Ash and Anabel were feeding off of each other. But, if you look closely, you will find some hints as to what Sabrina said was true. I also hope you guys liked how I described some of the Gym's services and would like your opinions on Saffron City's Teleport Transport.

Also, for you readers who were curious about what was going on with Team Rocket... here you go. You get to see the layout of their plan while wondering and worrying when it is going to happen as well as how well it will go. And what's up with Sabrina calling Delia? Any guesses...?

And this is _not _a piece offering to those waiting for _Amity's Arrancar's_ next update... I just had alot of inspiration to write this, finished it, and well... I uploaded it.


	22. Chapter 22:

Disclaimer: I do not, nor have I ever, owned anything related to Nintendo's _Pokémon_ franchise.

* * *

Legend:

"A human or a Pokémon is talking."

'_A human or a Pokémon is thinking.'_

"**A machine is being used."**

* * *

Chapter 22:

* * *

(Pallet Town—Ketchum Residence—Living Room)

Half way into Sabrina's explanation, Delia had sat down in the rarely used chair she kept by the Video Phone. She was grateful she had put it there, as she would've probably fallen to the floor otherwise when she fell backwards. The comfort of the plush chair, though, brought no comfort to her mind or heart.

On the ground beside the chair, Foongus looked up when her mommy made a weird sound. She saw her mommy bring her hands up to cover her face and make another weird sound as her chest shook a little bit. Drops of water slowly escaped from in-between mommy's fingers and across her hand and she knew. Mommy was sad. Very, very sad. Why was mommy sad?

"Gus?"

Sabrina's eyes softened on the Video Phone's screen, "I'm sorry, Mrs. Ketchum. I know that this must be difficult."

Delia felt like the weight of the world had been dropped on her shoulders and she didn't have the strength to hold it all. It crushed her underneath its cruel weight, forcing the air out of her lungs in heaving sobs. Underneath it, her crushed body shook with tremors as her chest was flattened as it tightened.

How could this have happened to her child? Why had it happened to him? Why did things like this keep happening to him? First it was the run-in with Team Rocket in Viridian City, then Mt. Moon, dealing with an abused Pokémon, and now _this_? Had she not prepared Ash for his journey enough? Had she not done enough? Had she been a bad mother?

"Mrs. Ketchum..." Sabrina said, trying to draw her attention.

Delia had done her best to take care of and raise Ash, as Jonathan had been busy with his work. She had been frustrated at times because of this but she knew it was irrational anger. Jonathan was one of the leading experts in the field of archeology. He was away most of the time because of a tip he got about something or a friend had called him in to help explore an excavation site.

So, it wasn't Jonathan's fault. He couldn't help the fact that he was so good at the job he loved. She knew this and was one of the reasons she had never said anything about it to him. Jonathan was the type of man who would do anything to make her happy and, if that meant quitting his job and finding a new one he hated close to home, he would've done it. She couldn't bear doing that to him.

And, really, it wasn't that hard to raise Ash on her own. Sure, Ash had been a bit of a rambunctious and excited child, but he loved her and Jonathan so much. He had never yelled at either of them or said that it was unfair. Or run away. To be honest, Ash was the best thing that had come from her and Jonathan's marriage, and she had been _honored_ to be his mother.

What would Ash be thinking right now? Sabrina had informed her she had told Ash and Anabel what was going on, as it was their right to know. What would they be thinking? The poor dears must be terrified of the situation they were in. And Ash would be feeling responsible for it, too, as he was Anabel's 'anchor' and if they separated now, Anabel would most likely go insane.

Despite how irrational it was, Delia felt a spike of anger towards Sabrina. If only that woman had called her with this information before she told Ash and Anabel. She could have tried to break it in to them easier. Or maybe she could've hired Sabrina to teleport to Pallet Town so she could go to Saffron City and be there when the news was to be broken to the two ten year-olds.

"Mrs. Ketchum?"

Delia startled a bit before she removed her hands from her face. "O-Oh..." She probably looked like a royal mess; red-rimmed eyes, patches of wet dirt from where she hadn't been able to wash off yet, and a brown-spotted white blouse. Sabrina must think of her as some kind of joke. "I'm sorry..."

"It's okay, Mrs. Ketchum." Sabrina waved it off with a look that bordered on understanding, "I would probably need a moment or two myself, if I was in your situation. In fact, I would probably be worse, as I don't think I would be able to prevent myself from losing control of my abilities."

Delia nodded meekly, wiping her eyes with her hand in an attempt to wipe away her tears. "D-Do you mind if I call my husband before we continue this any further, Sabrina? I... I... Jonathan needs to know what is going on."

"Of course, Mrs. Ketchum. I'm sorry as well, as I should've realized that, as this is a family situation, I should've called Mr. Ketchum as well." Sabrina responded without the offended air that Delia had expected, surprising her. "Forgive my oversight?"

"... I don't need to forgive you, Sabrina. You must have so much on your plate and now this mess just falls onto your lap..." Delia sighed as she got up, Foongus trailing her like a puppy. She bowed her head to Sabrina as she pressed a button and the screen spilt in two. She then punched in a quick series of numbers, all-to aware of the eyes on her forehead.

"Hello? Delia...?"

XXXXXX

(Opelucid City—Pokémon Center—Room #200)

This week had been very good, Jonathan decided. He had returned from his vacation home a couple of days ago and had received news about a recently discovered cavern. He and his team had travelled there and, while it was nothing they hadn't seen before, it was the _first_ cavern filled with unknown-based writing that had been found in Unova.

What was more was the fact that it was almost completely preserved. The entrance to the cavern had been sealed over a couple hundred years ago, judging by the way the earth had shifted around it and the fact it took a couple of minutes for new air to enter it. In fact, if it wasn't for some Trainer stumbling over it when she was training her team how to use Explosion, and then reported her find, they would never have known it was there.

The preservation of the cavern had made his team very, very happy. For the first time, they were able to see untouched walls of unknown-based writing. It would be a lot easier to translate what the walls said because of this fact. And knowing this had excited everyone on the team into scribbling frenzies as they went between staring at the walls and recording the sequence of letters onto spare notepads.

_'It is only a matter of time.'_ He had thought.

Now, though, he had just gotten back to his room at the Opelucid City Pokémon Center. Sure, he could have afforded to get a room at a nearby hotel but, this way, he would be staying for free. All of the money he had earned for this trip would be able to go, 100% untouched, back to Delia for her to put into their account.

"Time for a bath and then—" Jonathan began to say.

Jonathan was interrupted by the sound of his PokéGear ringing. He sighed a bit, having looked forward to that bath, before he looked down at his wrist. He was surprised to see his wife's number flashing on the screen like miniature, urgent beacons. What could Delia be wanting at this hour?

"Hello. Delia...?" He trailed of at the end as he saw the miniature screen spilt into two instead of one. "... What's going on?"

Little did he know that the following conversation would shake his world. Or the fact that he would be calling his team and telling them to continue on while he went home for a 'family emergency' and leave before any of them could protest. If they had, he would've told them that family was more important than the cavern, something they, childless, would call blasphemous.

XXXXXX

(With Ash and Anabel)

Despite the fact that it was already 11:00 am, neither Ash or Anabel had made an attempt to get up yet. It had been a long night for them as they began to deal with what Sabrina had told them last night. In fact, they hadn't left each other's arms since they had started to comfort one another, leading them to fall asleep in the same position.

Also, it seemed that their Pokémon had sensed their inner troubles because, when they woke up, they were surrounded by eight bodies. They would've woken up earlier from the lack of sheets but the warmth from their Pokémon had lulled them into a continued slumber.

Eyes red-rimmed and face dry, the two looked around themselves at the Pokémon around them. Sleeping close to them were Eevee, Clefairy, Butterfree, and Abra, who formed an 'inner ring' around them, two on each side. Beyond them were the Paras, Rattata, Pidgeotto, and Beedrill, who formed the 'outer ring'.

"W-wha... what happened?" Ash yawned.

Anabel blinked half-lidded eyes, "... I think they came out of their Poké Balls last night..."

Ash nodded a bit and then sagged forward. He still felt really tired and he didn't want to get up. Getting up would mean that he would have to face the reality of what Sabrina had told them about last night and dealing with it. And he didn't known if he had the strength to do that. Not yet. No so soon after the bombshell had been dropped.

"I'm still tired..." Ash complained with another yawn, sagging forward a bit.

"Me too..." Anabel agreed, allowing her head to fall back onto Ash's shoulder. "Wake me up when I'm not..."

Moments later both exhausted ten year-olds slumped over as they returned to pleasant unconsciousness. Neither of them noticed how their Pokémon shifted around them, now awake, and made sure that their Trainers were comfortable.

None of the eight knew why their Trainers were so upset. They did know, however, that they needed this. They needed to forget about the world for a moment. To slowly accept and then deal with what had upset them in the first place. And when their Trainers did that, they would be there to help them, every step of the way.

XXXXXX

Right now, Jonathan could be found on the back of his Mandibuzz as she flew them ever-closer to Kanto. It had been a long journey so far, having already taken up the majority of the previous night, and both were a little tired. Still, he had to hand it to Mandibuzz for being up to such a journey, as she had never wavered since they had left at 6:00 pm yesterday evening.

Mandibuzz was a large, vulture-like creature with a pink neck, head, eyes, and legs. The upper portion of Mandibuzz's wings, tail, back were black, with grayish-white feathers on the lower half of her wings. Also, there was a creamish collar of fur around Mandibuzz's neck, followed by a patch of black feathers, and then a 'skirt' of cream feathers that stuck outward like spikes. The strangest thing about her was the white bone stuck into the tuft of black fur at the back of Mandibuzz's head.

"Buzz..." Mandibuzz muttered as she readjusted her wings. Seconds later, she began to descend towards the ground as a small town slowly came into view. "Mandi-Buzz Di Buzz."

Jonathan petted Mandibuzz on the head and scratched just underneath her tuft of hair, just where she liked it. Mandibuzz began to croon at his administrations, finding them deeply soothing and relaxing, especially after such a long flight. Maybe her master would give her a special treat once they landed? She sure oped so because she was really tired and her wings and back were aching her something fierce.

"As soon as I have the chance, I'm getting you something special, Mandibuzz..." Jonathan said, finishing his petting with a small pat to the head. Mandibuzz crooned again, pleased, and Jonathan allowed the first smile to come onto his face when he heard the news. "Yes, you like that idea, don't you?"

"Mandi. Di Di Buzz Mandi~!" Manbibuzz agreed.

Jonathan laughed a little bit. He couldn't help it. Despite what Delia and Sabrina had told him about, it was a bit hard to remember now. Hard to remember when he was flying on the back of his Mandibuzz, allowing the wind to blow through his short black hair. To make all of his current problems not seem so big or important as he embraced in the feeling.

"What would you like?" He asked in a thoughtful manner. "Maybe that special brand of PokéChow that you like? A steak? Or maybe something else...?"

What most people didn't know about Mandibuzzes, and their previous evolutions, was the fact that they weren't born with the bones. Mandibuzzes and their previous forms scavenged for the bones in the area around them or something similar to it. Once they found it, though, they never parted with it. Like how Cubone never went far or let their bones out of their sights.

"Mandi Mandibuzz Buzz Di!" Mandibuzz responded quickly.

Jonathan's smile grew a little bit, "I knew that you couldn't resist steak."

"Di?" Mandibuzz squawked, offended.

"Well... you _do_ have the habit of devouring every bit of spare meat that I have with me." Jonathan replied. And it was true, too. Mandibuzz practically attacked him when she smelled any spare bit of meat on her. She would even ignore that special Flying/Dark-Type PokéChow mix if she even got a whiff of it. "I can't even have sandwich meat when you're around."

Mandibuzz huffed, "Mandi Di Di Mandibuzz Mandi-buzz, Di-buzz!"

'It's not her fault that it's so good'? Really, is _that_ all she had to say about the issue? It was a weak argument and he could easily tear it to shreds but the fact was he and Mandibuzz were in the air. If he offended her, she could decide to roll over and drop him. Not a very pleasant thought but it was true nonetheless.

"... You're just lucky that we're so high in the air, Mandibuzz." He muttered sulkily.

Besides Mandibuzz sounding her agreement with him, nothing else was said as they descended. They did, though, get to slowly see Pallet Town take shape and form. It was kind of magical, the way that the miles of greenery transformed into familiar places. Professor Oak's Laboratory, his and Delia's house, and a few, small stores, to name a few. It was made even better due to the fact that the sun was shining and the sky was clear of any rain-clouds.

"Jonathan!"

Mandibuzz trailed to the ground and encircled her chosen landing spot before coming to land in it. Jonathan clambered off her back as Delia rushed in from the wooden porch. He had to lean against Mandibuzz as his legs felt like pulverized jelly, but his arms were strong enough to embrace his wife in a loving hug. And bring her close to him as his right hand reached up to her hair and they _kissed_.

It felt _wonderful_.

Mandibuzz rolled her eyes, "Mandi buzz buzz? Di Mandi!"

"Thank you so much for coming home, Jonathan." Delia whispered once they had finally separated. She looked up at him with adoring eyes and panted, slightly out of breath. "I know you just left for work and now this..."

"It's fine, Delia. Even if my boss threatened to break my contract over this, I still would've come home. I couldn't live with myself if I had allowed you and Ash to deal with this mess alone." Jonathan said as he wiped away a tear of Delia's face. "What kind of dad would that make me? What kind of guy would that make me? I'll tell you: a selfish, cruel man that only cares about his job. And I'm not that kind of man."

That was the truth. He enjoyed going in with his team to study a historical excavation site, translate the unknown-based language, and learn things that had been forgotten to history. He was happy that he had a family that allowed him to pursue his dream—even _supported_ it!—but, if they were unhappy, he would gladly throw it all away for them. They were his family and he would do anything to make make them happy.

"Oh, Jonathan..."

Jonathan put a strong hand on his wife's shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze, "Hey. No more tears, okay? You aren't responsible for anything that's going on between Ash and his friend." She looked up with wide eyes and he leaned forward to kiss her forehead, "You couldn't have known, so don't tell me how you would've done everything differently. You did perfectly."

Delia practically collapsed into his chest then, sobbing. She didn't know how Jonathan could've known what she had been thinking, what she had been _feeling_, but he did. His words and his touch made her feel like everything was going to be okay. That, maybe, it was going to be better than 'okay'.

"Sshh, it's okay..." Jonathan whispered as he wrapped his arms around his wife's shoulders. "It's okay, Delia. Shh... It's okay."

XXXXXX

(Later—With Ash and Anabel)

The next time that Ash and Anabel woke up was much more different than the first time. For one, both of them didn't feel tired anymore. Another thing that was different was the sudden, urgent realization that they had to go to the bathroom. The two pre-teens, eye wide, glanced at each other for a moment before springing into action.

Anabel let go of Ash as he slid forward on his knees, waking up Eevee and Clefairy. The two bleary-eyed Pokémon looked around as Ash began to crawl over them on his way towards the latter as the same time as Anabel did. Eevee and Clefairy's startled chatter, when the realized what was going on, roused the others who then repeated the process.

Ash was the first to reach the ladder first. He slipped on a rung on his way down and fell off, seconds before Anabel jumped to the ground. Her feet missed his back by a foot but came uncomfortably close to his fingers. "No you don't!" He reached out and grabbed her by her pant-leg, sending her sprawling towards the nearby clump of plastic bags. "I'm going to the bathroom first!"

While 'the enemy' was down, Ash hurried to his feet as Anabel slowly removed herself from the bags. He raced towards the bathroom, Anabel hot on his heels. He reached the door to the bathroom first, threw it open, and hurriedly slammed the door behind him as soon as he got inside. Anabel pounded on the door, actually _yelling_, which caused Ash to lock the door. If he didn't, then Anabel might open it and throw him out.

Of course, it was also a possibility that she could order one of the Pokémon outside the door to break it down. It was a sad fact but most places weren't built to be resistant to a Pokémon attack. Especially a bathroom door in a Pokémon Center. Who knew how long it would last until one of them managed to break through? Four moves? Three moves? _One_ move?

He decided not to think about it.

Ash quickly walked over to the toilet and lifted the lid. Before he could sit down, however, _Anabel _teleported_ inside the bathroom_ with Abra. He stared at her in horror—how bad did she have to go?!—for a couple of moments.

"Get out of the bathroom or I'll have Abra Teleport you out." Anabell warned with an all-too serious expression on her face. "I _have_ to go to the bathroom."

"I was here first!" Ash protested.

Ten seconds later found Ash outside the bathroom, switching from glaring at the bathroom door to glaring at Abra. He had never expected for his shy, kind Anabel to do something like this. It was something that Willow would have probably done, had she been there, but not Anabel. And why had Abra listened to her? Abra were Psychic-Type Pokémon, so surely it could have read his mind to see how much he needed to _go_?

_'But, nooooo...'_ Ash mentally grumbled as he crossed his legs in an attempt to halt the incoming flood. _'He had to take Anabel's side! Stupid Pokémon-Trainer loyalty...'_

Abra glanced at him for a moment, or as close as he could get to a glance with his eyes constantly in little slits, before turning away. He then glanced at the spoon that Anabel had gotten him and made a small 'aba' in thought. Seconds later, his eyes began to glow blue and so did the spoon. Ever so slowly the tip of the spoon began to bend backwards.

It seemed taxing to Abra, Ash observed, as he watched beads of sweat appeared on Abra's forehead. This was followed by Abra taking in deeper and deeper breathes the longer that he bent the spoon. In reality, the breaths were closer to pants one would hear after they had finished a grueling excercise. It could be, for all Ash knew; he had no idea how Psychic-Type Pokémon were trained.

Ash turned around as soon as he heard Anabel undoing the lock in the bathroom before she opened the door. He was instantly hit with the combined smells of hotel soap and shampoo. He was then hit by the feel of the humid air that drifted out of the bathroom, a tribute to the shower that Anabel had a couple minutes ago. He could _see_the fogged mirror above the sink, the condensation on the metal nearest to where Anabel had taken her shower, and the discarded towel that Anabel had thrown to the floor.

And there, standing in the doorway of the bathroom, was a rejuvenated Anabel. Her usual chin-length, purple hair reached its wet ends to the tips of her covered shoulders. She was decked out in the new collared, white long-sleeved shirt she had gotten alongside a pair of formfitting purple pants. To finish it off, her eyes seemed to be sparkling and there was a relieved smile on her face.

"Thanks for letting me use the bathroom, Ash."

Ash's eyes _burned_, "I didn't let you use the bathroom. You used Abra to Teleport you in there and then Teleport me out." There came a harsh reminder of why he needed to go to the bathroom. "But-get-out-of-my-way! Have-to-go-to-_bathroom_! Talk-about-this-later!"

He practically threw Anabel out of the doorway and slammed the door in her face. He then ran over to the sacred toilet, opened the lid, and finally went to the bathroom. He heard a knock on the door outside of the bathroom but was too caught up in the sudden feeling of _relief _that he really didn't register it. If it was important, then Anabel would tell him about it once he got out.

XXXXXX

When Ash finally came out of the bathroom, he was greeted by a very unexpected sight. The things he and Anabel had gotten yesterday—had it really been yesterday?—had been separated into two piles, one on each bunk of the bunk-bed. Sitting on his bunk was the familiar face of his mother who was sitting next to a tall, black-haired man.

"Dad!"

Jonathan Ketchum, his dad, was a black-haired, blue-eyed man that looked to have spent too much time inside. He was wearing a plaid red shirt, dusty black pants, brown boots, and had a small row of Poké Balls clipped to his black belt. To finish the look of, there was a massive grin just above the man's stubbled chin. "Hello, Ash."

Not a second later, Ash ran past his six Pokémon—who were playing near the couch with a small group of other Pokémon—and into the open arms of his dad. His dad's arms closed around him as they hugged one another. Ash's face became buried in his dad's shoulder as he smelled him for the first time in what seemed like forever. He still smelled like an odd mix of aftershave and dusty old books.

"How's it been?" His dad asked.

Ash was moved to sit in-between his dad and mom with one of his dad's strong arms over his shoulder. He didn't need any further prompting to begin telling his dad about everything. He told of the first day he became a Pokémon Trainer and got Eevee, how he captured each of his Pokémon, battles he had participated in, and the strategies he had used to beat Brock and Misty.

His dad made all of appropriate number of 'oohs' and 'ahs' in all of the right places. He even enthused about the move he had made with Rattata, Quick Swim, though he was sure that his mom had already told him about it. And then he told him about what he had been doing. How his team had been traveling around Unova and the new cavern that had been unearthed. His dad also told him about each of his new Pokémon that had caught while in Unova: Mandibuzz, Sigilyph, and Yamask.

Apparently, his dad had caught Mandibuzz when it was a Vullaby near one of Unova's numerous port towns. He had caught Sigiyph and Yamask when he, and his team, had been travelling through ancient ruins in Unova. Yamask and Sigilyph had attacked them for disturbing the ruins and dad had defended, leading to their individual captures.

At the same time, all of Ash's Pokémon were getting to know his dad's Pokémon. Or, at least, they were _trying_ to. Pidgeotto and Mandibuzz were having a staring contest, with Mandibuzz looking down at the smaller Flying-Type Pokémon. Eevee, Paras, and Rattata were conversing with Yamask over something. They seemed to be having an interesting talk too, judging by how Yamask's eyes had widened. Off to the sides hung out Clefairy an Sigilyph while Beedrill hovered in-between them.

Everything seemed to be going well, but something nagged at the back of Ash's mind. "Where's Anabel?"

"Your friend went to a room just next door that Nurse Joy was happy to give her and her parents for their reunion." His dad answered. "We were unsure about separating you two, especially after what Sabrina told us, but she said that it would be safe as long as you two don't get more than 100 meters apart."

"Why 100 meters?" Ash asked, confused.

His dad's grin faltered for a moment, "Because... 100 meters seems to be the range of the field you seem to have, Ash."

There it was. Not that Ash was ungrateful or anything, but he had wondered why his mom and dad—and apparently Anabel's parents too—had come here out of the blue. His mom had told him that he had come home recently and spent a week with her, so his dad shouldn't have been able to come visit so soon. His mom could've come to visit but she had a lot to do back in Pallet Town and it was "his Journey" as she told him.

They had come to help him and Anabel deal with what Sabrina had told them last night.

To be honest, though, Ash had put the whole mess out of his mind. He hadn't even thought about it this morning. The reminder was a like harsh slap to the face and brought reality down on his head. He would have to start dealing with it now, as Anabel probably already was doing with her parents. But how could he deal with it?

Besides telling him the basics of what she believed his field to do, Sabrina didn't seem to know that much about it. She didn't have the ability to train him like she was going to train Anabel in her powers or know what would happen if he and Anabel separated. She didn't know how his field would react to that loss. How could he _deal_ with it if he didn't know everything about his field?

He couldn't.

Ash didn't even realize that he was shivering until his mom and dad enveloped him in a small group hug. He looked up at their concerned faces and felt something within him break. He didn't know what it was but, soon enough, he started to cry. His parents hushed him gently and patted his back, whispering words into his ears that he couldn't hear.

Clefairy was the first to walk over and hug his leg, offering whatever comfort she was capable of giving her beloved Trainer. The rest of Ash's released Pokémon followed suit: Rattata and Paras snuggled against Ash's leg, Beedrill and Pidgeotto flew to the spot behind Ash to watch over him, and Eevee squeezed her way past the entwined arms to rest of Ash's lap. Jonathan's Pokémon watched for a minute before they moved to stand guard at the doorway.

XXXXXX

If one was to compare Ash and Anabel's room and the room next door, they wouldn't be able to find two different situations. Jonathan and Delia Ketchum had greeted their son happily, asked about how he was doing, and then brought up what was going on. Emily and Daniel White, however, had taken Anabel out of 'her' room, sat her down, and began to scold her over what she had done.

"You told us that you had it under control, Anabel!" Daniel White—a man with dark-purple hair, black eyes, and business man-like clothes—snapped. He started to pace in front of his increasingly teary-eyed daughter, "You _lied_ to us!"

Anabel recoiled.

"You had us believe that you had your powers under control when they _weren't_! Your headaches weren't 'gone'! And for what?" Daniel continued, whirling around to face his daughter. "So that you could become a Pokémon Trainer on time? Is _that_ it?!"

"Daniel, honey, maybe you could—" Emily began.

"I will not calm down, Emily! Our daughter deliberately lied to us when we were only concerned about her well-being! If she hadn't lied to us, then we wouldn't be in this mess!" Daniel interrupted, elaborating his point by lashing out with his right hand towards the wall that separated them from the Ketchum family. "That _boy_ wouldn't have become her 'anchor'! And her 'powers' wouldn't make her insane if we took him away from her!"

This is one of the reasons that Anabel hadn't wanted to tell them. Or pretended she was busy with something else or something had come up so she could end a Video Phone call if her dad answered the phone. She knew that he loved her but, when he got mad, he started shouting and didn't take into account anyone's objections. If you talked back or ignored him, it only made him angrier, which left whom he was angry with in a lose-lose situation.

"Daniel—"

Daniel lowered and then crossed his arms, "She hasn't even answered me yet, Emily. So, no, I will not be calming down anytime soon! She needs to explain herself and take responsiblity for her actions! The actions that _drew_ our family into this mess!"

"I-I'm sorry..." Anabel whispered, bowing her head.

"You're _sorry_, Anabel?!" Daniel demanded in a tone more resembling a scream. "'Sorry' doesn't take into account all the _lies_ you've told us and the mess _you've_ gotten us into!" He was so angry he started pacing again, glaring at the wallpaper. "When this is all cleaned up, we will be taking her home."

Anabel felt as if someone had just stabbed her in the chest with a rusty knife. Take her home? After all she had gone through to get her mom and dad to let her go, the constant struggle with her powers, and meeting Ash? Go home after all she and Ash had gone through? Go home after she had promised to stay with him for 'as long as he needed her'?

Her mother fretted with the hands in her lap, not looking Daniel in the eye. "Daniel... I think you're being a little rash..."

"I told you, Emily—" Daniel began.

"—I'm not going back home." Anabel boldly stated as she stood up from the couch. Her mother gave her a pleading look that Anabel didn't see, too busy starting eye-to-eye with Daniel with her red-rimmed eyes. His nostrils flared. "I'm g-going to stay with Ash and continue my Journey."

Anabel knew what would happen if Daniel and her mom took her home. They would come up with a longer list of rules and chores to keep her busy, take her with them to the office so that they could keep an eye on her, and maybe even confiscate Abra and Butterfree. They would never allow her to leave their sights again.

It would spell the end of her Journey if she gave in now.

This match, however, was not going to be as easy as some of the other battles she had. This time she was facing _Daniel_. He wouldn't give up until he had his way and she came home with him. He would do anything to make her listen to him and hede his orders 'as a daughter should'. He also had three decades more experience than her and a lot more ammunition than she did.

"What did you say?" Daniel demanded, his voice barely above a whisper.

"I said t-that I'm going to stay with Ash and continue on my Pokémon Journey." Anabel answered softly but firmly, not backing down an inch. "I'm not going to be dragged back home. At least not willingly. You'll talk to some of your office friends and revoke my Trainer License and take away my Pokémon!"

It was a sad truth. While every ten year-old had the chance to become Pokémon Trainers and go out on their Pokémon Journey's, their Trainer License could be revoked. It didn't happen all the time but Trainers who abused their Pokémon had their license taken away and their Pokémon sent to nearby rehilabition centers. The only other, legal, instance would be taking away Trainer Licenses from Trainers who had commited a crime, major or minor, with the option of _earning_ it back once they had paid their debt to society.

Daniel, however, had more power than the average parent. He worked in a high-end law firm and had made many connections over the years. If he had evidence to a Trainer needing their license revoked, or could fabicate it, he passed it along to his 'friends' and that was that. They didn't make sure the evidence was real or not, simply revoked their Trainer's license and took away his or her Pokémon.

"And why shouldn't I do that, Anabel?" Daniel countered with narrowed eyes, taking a single step forward. "You lied to me and your mother about your 'powers' all so you could become a Pokémon Trainer. Why shouldn't I take away your reward for lying and decieving me and your mother from you?"

Anabel flinched for half a second before quickly schoolin her expression. "... Because you can't do that. Me and Ash need to be together for however long I need to master my powers and for him to learn how to control _his_ powers." It was a hastily thought-up argument but, the more she thought about it, the more firm it became. "Ms. Sabrina doesn't know what could happen if we seperated before he learned to control his powers."

"You... You..." Daniel was seeing red. He had caught the implication within his daughter's words and it upset him greatly. 'However long I need to master my powers'; she could take much longer than she needed to learn and how to control them, just to spite him. And she knew that he had to get back to work soon. "You little..."

"I'm not a little girl anymore. I am a licensed Pokémon Trainer out on my Pokémon Journey." Anabel stated with a confidence she didn't know she had. She then felt her feet move and take her away from her red-faced father and horror-faced mother, towards the door. "... I'm tired of letting you boss me around."

"You get back here right this instant, Anabel! We're not done with this conversation!" Daniel shouted as soon as he had been able to 'reboot'. "Anabel... Don't pretend you can't hear me! We will be talking about your rudeness and cheek, _young lady_!"

Anabel opened the door and turned around to face him a bit. This allowed Daniel to see, as if for the first time, the tears running down her face. Her hand shook around the handle and her shoulders shook, but she kept a firm gaze on him. "No. You just want to yell at me and boss me around."

Daniel made to go after his daughter and drag her back into the room, but her parting comment stopped him cold. 'Just like you do to Mom', she had said. He stared at the opened doorway where she had left, trying to process what that short little sentence meant, but was unable to. He never yelled at or ordered his wife around. He turned to talk to Emily, to get her agreement on this, only to find his wife looking into her lap.

Her long, purple hair covered her face as her head was bowed but there could be no mistake in the way her shoulders were shaking. Nor the soft 'plunk' of tears as gravity took hold of them and sent them sailing towards the growing, tear-spotted floor.

XXXXXX

(Saffron City—Police HQ—Interrogation Room #5)

The chief of Saffron City's police force, Chief Jenny, could currently be found standing on one side of a metal table, overlooking the bound criminal on the other side. Said criminal was a brown-haired, black-eyed man in his early twenties, dressed in the standard 'Grunt' garb of the villanous Team Rocket.

"You don't have the right to keep me here, lady." The grunt scowled.

Chief Jenny's eyebrows twitched ever-so-slighty, _'... 'Lady'? He's going to pay for saying that.'_ She slapped down a manilla folder on the table, numerous pictures sliding out of it and into the grunt's face. "You think I don't have anything to keep you here? _Wrong_. I have more than enough evidence to keep you here... to send you to jail for a _very_ long time."

The pictures caused the grunt to pale. And why shouldn't they? Those were all pictures of said grunt robbing a bank, running away from a downed woman, and various other crimes. The reason that the grunt could tell it was him was because of the brown hair that peaked out from underneath his black cap and his special black-trimmed boots. He should never have worn them.

"... What do you want?" The grunt asked, whispering.

"What makes you think you have anything I want to know, _Grunt_?" Chief Jenny asked, turning on her heel as she began to walk towards the room's exit. "I just showed you those pictures to show you how deep you are in. I mean, you seemed to want to know what evidence we have on you."

The grunt looked at her back, horrifed, before trying to get up. This was difficult as his hands were hand-cuffed to the table, leaving him in a humorus hunch-like stance as he called out to Chief Jenny. "Hey! Stop! _Stop!_"

"Why should I?" Chief Jenny asked while, internally, she was smirking. Show how much trouble the suspect was in, leave him to stare at the evidence, and threaten to leave. If the suspect wasn't that strong-willed then it would cause them to try for a deal as, once she left, there would be no deals. "Like I said before, you don't have any information I want."

The grunt hesistated for a moment and then licked his suddenly dry lips. "I-I may have... something... that you don't know."

_'Got you.'_ Chief Jenny thought as she turned around, raising a delicate eyebrow. "Oh? You, a disposable grunt, have information I might want?"

"I'm not disposable!" The grunt hissed angrily, hands clenching within their restraints. A couple of seconds passed in silence before the grunt realized what had been going on looked at the table. He grimaced at the photographic evidence and licked his lips again. "My superior might have told me something... but I aint telling you nothing about it unless I get a deal!"

Chief Jenny pulled her chair out an sat down, right leg moving to rest on her left. "Of course. But the deal I offer you will depend on the quality of information that you can provide me. And if this information is something I already know, you won't be getting any deal at all."

"Hehehehe..." The grunt chuckled knowingly. "I really doubt that you know of—"

The grunt's sentence was cut off when a purple-pink blob was finaly noticed crawling up the grunt's chest. Chief Jenny quickly got up from her chair, hand reaching for her gun as the blob—a _Ditto—_surged forward and latched onto the grunt's face. The grunt's screams were muffled as started jerking around, but futiley; he was still restrained and the table was heavier than he was.

_'It's trying to suffocate him!'_ Chief Jenny thought as she rushed over to the grunt.

Chier Jenny was halted when another, unnoticed Ditto launched itself from underneath the table and wrapped itself around her legs. She tried to rip it off as quickly as she could but, by the time she had, the other Ditto dropped to the floor. It sat on the floor underneath the result of its horrible deed with the second Ditto.

The chief stared at the former grunt for a moment before she had to turn away, "Damnit!" She had been so close, too. Four of her officers burst into the room at that moment, quickly apprehending the two blob-like Pokémon. The last thing that Chief Jenny saw of the Dittos were the orange collars around their 'necks' and the blank expressions on their faces.

* * *

Ash's Pokémon Team:

Eevee (Female): Level 20.

Attacks: Tackle (Normal), Sand Attack (Normal), Scratch (Normal), Tail-Whip (Normal), Helping Hand (Normal), Growl (Normal), Bite (Dark), and Quick Attack (Normal).

Pidgeotto (Male): Level 17.

Attacks: Sand Attack (Ground), Tackle (Normal), Gust (Flying), Peck (Flying), and Whirlwind (Flying).

Rattata (Male): Level 19.

Attacks: Bite (Dark), Tackle (Normal), Quick Attack (Normal), Hyper Fang (Normal), Scratch (Normal), Pursuit (Dark), and Quick Swim (Normal).

Beedrill (Male): Level 18.

Attacks: String-Shot (Bug), Poison-Sting (Poison), Bug-Bite (Bug), Fury Attack (Normal), and Twineedle (Bug).

Clefairy (Female): Level 14.

Attacks: Sing (Normal), Pound (Normal), Metronome (Normal), DoubleSlap (Normal), and Defense Curl (Normal).

Paras (Male): Level 17.

Attacks: PoisonPowder (Poison), Stun Spore (Grass), Sleep Powder (Grass), Spore (Grass), Leech Life (Bug), and Fury Cutter (Bug).

Anabel's Pokémon Team:

Abra (Male): Level 22.

Attacks: Teleport (Psychic), Psyshock (Psychic), Confusion (Psychic), and Psychic (Psychic).

Butterfree (Female): Level 17.

Attacks: Confusion (Psychic), Poisonpowder (Poison), Stun Spore (Grass), Harden (Bug), Sleep Powder (Grass), and String Shot (Bug).

Jonathan's Pokémon Team:

Mandibuzz (Female): Level 35.

Attacks: Fly (Flying), Gust (Flying), Leer (Normal), Fury Attack (Normal), Pluck (Flying), Nasty Plot (Dark), Flatter (Dark), Faint Attack (Dark), Punishment (Dark), and Defog (Flying).

Sigilyph: (Male): Level 19.

Attacks: Gust (Flying), Miracle Eye (Psychic), Hypnosis (Psychic), Psywave (Psychic), Tailwind (Flying), Whirlwind (Normal), Psybeam (Psychic).

Yamask (Female): Level 20.

Attacks: Astonish (Ghost), Protect (Normal), Disable (Normal), Haze (Ice), Night Shade (Ghost), Hex (Ghost), and Will-O-Wisp (Fire).

* * *

**A/N: Author's Note: **A little dark there at the ending, hm? Now we have further evidence of just why Team Rocket is a villianous organization... and how far they are willing to go to protect their information. But, to order the Assassination Dittos to attack... the Dittos needed to have been planted there and then ordered to attack, right? Neither the Chief or the grunt ordered it, so how could they have...?

On a lighter note, we have been introduced to Jonathan Ketchum and know what he does for a living. A bit sad, however, about Anabel's dad... but it does explain a few things. If you can figure out what, then kudos to you. For the ones that can't... well... it'll be revealed in time.


	23. Chapter 23:

Disclaimer: I do not, nor have I ever, owned anything related to Nintendo's _Pokémon_ franchise.

* * *

Legend:

"A human or a Pokémon is talking."

'_A human or a Pokémon is thinking.'_

"**A machine is being used."**

* * *

Chapter 23:

* * *

(Saffron City—Police HQ)

Chief Jenny was sitting within her office, frowning as she looked down at the newspaper lying on her desk. She was frowning at one article, though, whose headline screamed across the top of the first page of the newspaper. The article was:

* * *

**Murder _within_ Police Interrogation Cell!**

By: Sarah Williams

* * *

_Early yesterday morning, Chief J. Jenny was interrogating a member of the illegal organization known as Team Rocket. Said suspect had been captured by the police for various robberies, muggings, and the attempted murder of Mrs. Suzanne Willows._

_"I had just confronted the suspect with the evidence of his crimes when [it] happened," Chief J. Jenny had to say when asked what had happened before the murder took place in one of her interrogation rooms._

_The "it" in question was the murder of the man, formerly known as Jacob E. Litch. A single Ditto emerged from underneath the table of the room and latched onto Jacob's face. Chief Jenny was reported to have tried to intervene but another Ditto emerged from underneath the table and attached itself to her legs._

_When asked about it, Chief Jenny sighed and looked away before saying, "It was horrible. By the time I managed to get the Ditto off of my legs, [Mr. Litch] was already gone." Then, in response to another question, she said, "At the time, I didn't think of using my Pokémon."_

_The police have released a statement about the two Ditto responsible for the attack. Apparently, both Pokémon were found with two high-tech collars around their necks. While the collars were on them, the Pokémon were unresponsive and expressionless but, as soon as they were removed, they began to respond. Silph Co. technicians are examining the collars for an undisclosed reason._

_I think that we know that reason._

_The technicians are testing to see if those collars can control a Pokémon. Maybe even to the point of absolute obedience? One would think the very idea preposterous and absurd, but it could soon be a known reality. Poké Balls are known to stimulate a feeling of trust and friendliness within a captured Pokémon, alongside the desire to obey their Trainer's orders. So why wouldn't it be possible for someone to enhance or even amplify that desire?_

* * *

"What a mess..." Chief Jenny said with a sigh.

This couldn't have come at a worse time. Several of her most trusted officers had started an investigation as to _how_ those two Ditto got into the interrogation room. They had done a thorough screening of the dead grunt's body and there were no traces of Ditto DNA anywhere besides the man's face. The grunt had his Pokémon taken away from him before he had been taken into the room and had reacted in obvious surprise to the Ditto's presence.

That also brought into the equation of why the Ditto had appeared then. This one was relatively easier to answer. When the grunt had made to surrender some sort of information about Team Rocket's activities, the Ditto had appeared. So, knowing this, it wasn't too hard to figure out that the Ditto had to have been planted there to shut him up.

However, that also brought to Chief Jenny's attention the question of how. That interrogation room had been cleared before she had drug the man in there and handcuffed him to the table. And, as loathe as she was to admit it, she already had an idea that could answer it.

One of the officers in her police force had planted those Ditto, knowing she was bringing him into that room. In other words, they had been infiltrated by a Team Rocket spy or mole.

* * *

(Saffron City—Pokémon Center—Cafeteria)

Ash looked up from his breakfast when he heard his dad sigh, seeing him folding what looked like today's newspaper. Judging by the expression on his dad's face, whatever was in the news must've been something that upset him. "Are you okay, Dad?" He asked.

"... I'm fine, Ash." His dad said, attempting a reassuring grin that looked more like a grimace. His mom put a hand on his dad's shoulder and he sighed again, "Just some... unpleasant news today. Nothing to worry yourselves over. The police are handling it."

That last sentence piqued Ash's interest a little bit. Why were the police were involved? Had there been a break-in or attempted robbery, like Team Rocket's attack on Viridian City's Pokémon Center? He wanted to ask about it, but a look from his mom stopped him. He could practically hear his mom saying, "Not now", so he bit his tongue. He could find out later. After all, whatever happened was in the news, and newspapers were _everywhere_.

"Good morning." A familiar voice greeted quietly.

Ash and his parents, alongside their released Pokémon, looked up from their breakfasts just in time for Anabel to sit down on the end of the bench. Ash frowned. He hadn't seen Anabel since yesterday, when they had been fighting over the bathroom. He had been distracted by his parents' arrival—and crying, not that he would admit it to anyone—but he had stilled missed Anabel.

What really made him frown, though, was the state of Anabel's appearance. Her hair was unbrushed and now sticking up in every direction, her eyes looked sunken in, and there was a suspicious puffiness to them. She was also wearing the exact same clothes that she had been wearing yesterday. They looked a bit ruffled and crinkled, so she must've slept in them too.

As Ash slid over towards his friend, neither he nor Anabel noticed the concerned glances that his parents were giving each other. "Anabel..." His mom began in a concerned tone, "Are you okay, sweetie? You don't look so well..."

"I-I'm fine." Anabel whispered, staring at her food.

"Are you sure that you're not tired or feeling sick?" His mom asked.

_'Why would Anabel be feeling sick?' _Ash wondered in growing confusion. _'She was just fine, yesterday...'_

Anabel was thinking, _'No, Mrs. Ketchum, I'm not. My dad y-yelled at me last night and made me feel really, really bad. And then I hid in a supply closet until my parents left before crawling back into their room and spent the night staring at the ceiling.'_ Out loud, she said, "... I guess that I'm beginning to feel the implications of what's going on with us."

"You shouldn't worry about that. Sabrina also said that she could train you to control your powers." Ash said before either of his parents could say anything, giving her a reassuring grin. "And then everything will be okay!"

Anabel looked at him for a moment and sighed internally, _'If only it was that simple, Ash...'_

"If you're sure that you're feeling okay..." Jonathan trailed off when he received a faint nod from Anabel. "... Where are your parents, Anabel?" He then asked. "I wanted to ask them if it would be okay for Delia and I to take you and Ash out to get your minds off what's been happening."

"Uh..." Anabel really didn't know how to answer that question. Or a want to answer it either. She racked her brains for something to say that wouldn't raise their almost palpable suspicions. "... They, uh, left for their own hotel last night. I don't know which hotel either. Sorry..."

Jonathan and Delia exchanged a glance, "Do they have a PokéGear that we can contact them on?"

"I can't remember the number." Anabel lied. She knew the number by heart, but she wasn't about to tell them that. If she did, Mr. and Mrs. Ketchum would call her parents and discover what had really gone on last night. She didn't want them, or Ash, to stop treating her so nicely and start acting like her dad. They would, too, if her dad got a chance to talk to them about her and her 'problems'. "Besides... Dad only answers his PokéGear for clients."

"Oh." Delia said, surprised. "I'm sorry, dear."

Ash seemed to have decided that enough was enough and spoke up. "But..." He started as he looked at Anabel. "Your parents wouldn't mind if we went out, right?"

"Sweetie, I don't know—" Delia began to say.

"Yeah... I think it would be fine." Anabel said, lying again. Of course her parents wouldn't be 'okay' with it. She knew that her parents, her dad at least, seemed to despise Ash already. He certainly wouldn't, willingly, allow her to go anywhere with Ash's family unless they came too. Something that also needed to be avoided. "They're pretty... low-key?"

"Alright!" Ash cheered.

Anabel felt some of her earlier tension slid right off of her shoulders, smiling lightly at Ash's enthusiasm. There was nothing as comforting as seeing her friend so happy and because of something she did for him. Not some field that she had only _really_ felt one time. It was all Ash.

XXXXXX

(Saffron City—Contest Hall)

After everyone had finished up their breakfasts, and Anabel had a chance to go freshen up, they left the Pokémon Center. They had wandered around the streets for a little while before noticing that a lot of people were heading in a certain direction. Asking a random passerby had provided them with the information that there was a Pokémon Contest scheduled to begin soon.

_That_ bit of information had certainly given Delia the idea that they should go and see it. They hadn't really been doing much and, despite how girly they seemed, Pokémon Contests were actually quite interesting.

Pokémon Contests were competitions where Pokémon Coordinators—Trainers who focused on the beauty of their Pokémon—went to show off their Pokémon. The contests themselves usually involved two rounds: the appeal round and the battle round.

The appeal round was where Pokémon Coordinators would release their Pokémon onto the stage and showcase their beauty and talent. After the appeal round, three judges would go over every performance and eliminate those Coordinators that had been unable to woo them. The battle round was where the remaining Pokémon Coordinators battled one another. Still, even in the battle round, it was very important to continue showing off 'beautiful' moves.

"I can't wait!" Delia said from her seat next to Jonathan. "I haven't been able to personally go and see a Contest in _ages_!"

Ash turned and gave his mom a surprised look, "You like Contests, Mom?"

"Mm-hm." Delia nodded. "While I chose not to become a Coordinator myself, Contests have always interested me." She said, smiling. "There is just something about seeing how _cute_ certain moves can look outside of battle and the combinations Coordinators use—" She sighed, dreamily. "—is just _amazing_."

"You would be surprised to see how many Trainers come to see a Contest, son." Jonathan said with a nod towards the curtained stage. "Besides being one of the ways that Coordinators earn their money, being entertainment for us, and bringing in extra revenue for hosting city... they are also a source of inspiration for Trainers."

"Really?"

Surprising, it was Anabel who answered instead of Jonathan. "Yeah... I've heard that Trainers come to contests to see how ordinary moves can be used differently." She smiled at Ash, "Like Beedrill's Poison Sting. It's different from how a Beedrill would usually use it."

"Oh. I get it." Ash said.

"Ooh~!" Delia cheered, stars in her eyes. "It's starting!"

Jonathan turned at his son and winked, "If you watch closely enough, you'll be amazed by what you see. And maybe you'll learn something, too."

**"Ladies and Gentleman... please allow me the honor of introducing you all to the fabulous Pokémon Coordinators competing in today's Pokémon Contest!" **Miranda Skipp, the blonde Master of Ceremonies, announced over the loudspeakers. From her position in the middle of the stage, she then turned around, towards the curtain as it was raised up. **"And here they are~!"**

Fifty well-dressed Pokémon Coordinators were then revealed. Eyes sparkling, they bowed as one towards their now-roaring audience. Miranda's voice, calling up the first Coordinator for the appeal round, was practically drowned out by the noise. That noise stopped, though, as soon as 'Jimmy Trys' stepped forward.

"Let's go, Goldeen!" Jimmy cried as he threw a covered Poké Ball into the air.

Instead of the usual flash of light, Jimmy's Pokémon came out within a storm of blue-tinted bubbles. The fish-like Pokémon twisted in mid-air and struck an impressive pose that, alongside the bubbles, made it seem as if it had gracefully jumped out of the ocean. Then, on Jimmy's command, the bubbles around his Pokémon were pulled inwards and formed into multiple rings that circled around it.

"Wow..."Ash said, leaning on the edge of his seat.

Jimmy, however, wasn't done yet and ordered his Goldeen to use Supersonic. Goldeen complied by releasing a multitude of transparent rings from her mouth. These rings caused the bubble rings to shudder until the bubbles began to explode one by one. So, instead of landing with the bubble rings around it, Goldeen landed amidst a shower of sparkles that highlighted the orange coloring on her fins.

**"Wow! Jimmy Trys brings the heat with a dazzling combination of Aqua Ring and Supersonic." **Miranda said, sounding awed. **"Judges~?"**

Mr. Contesta smiled as the audience turned towards where the judges' booth. Then, after clearing his throat, he began to speak into his microphone. "I think that was quite good. It is obvious that Jimmy has trained his Goldeen well. You have my vote."

"Goldeen put on a good performance, though Jimmy could have been more interactive." Ms. Yue said. The crowd 'boo-ed' at her, but she seemed unaffected or simply didn't care about it. "I say no."

Now all the attention fell upon the last of the three judges; Mr. Suzuki. "Well..." Everyone in the audience leaned on the edges of their seats, waiting for his decision. "I think that performance is good enough for you to move on. Your Goldeen's form was magnificent and her moves... _spectacular_!"

The audience roared in approval of Mr. Suzuki's vote while Jimmy smiled and bowed to the audience. Jimmy recalled his Goldeen and moved off the stage and through a nearby doorway, where he would wait until the battle rounds. When he was completely gone, Miranda called up the next Pokémon Coordinator; Tammy Heart.

By the time Tammy and her Ponyta finished their appeal, Ash and Anabel were hooked.

XXXXXX

(Two Hours Later)

"That was awesome!" Ash exclaimed as he, his parents, and Anabel walked out of the Contest Hall. "I mean, did you see the way that Misdreavus just _passed_ through that Flamethrower and then created those orbs with Power Gem? Amazing!"

"I liked the Cosmic Power and Stone Edge combination that Lunarock used! It was really cool." Anabel added before she paused. "Not as cool as that Water Pulse and Psychic combination that one Train—I mean Coordinator—used, though."

Ash looked at her like she was crazy, "Are you _kidding_ me? I'll admit that combination looked nice, but the Flamethrower and Gust combination was _way_ better. The way Tammy used her Charmeleon's Flamethrower and her Pidgey's Gust to create it... and then what it did... how can you _not_ say it wasn't good?"

"I never said that." Anabel said.

Behind the two, now-arguing, Pokémon Trainers, Jonathan and Delia exchanged small smiles. It seemed that their plan of distracting the kids was working. Not only had Ash and Anabel been stunned over what the Pokémon Coordinators had managed to do, they were excited too. And, judging by the growing ferocity between the two Trainers, they had really liked it.

"Jonathan..."

Before his wife could finish, Jonathan was walking. "So, you guys enjoyed the Contest?" Jonathan asked as he put one arm around each of the children's shoulders, thereby halting their argument. "Delia and I certainly did."

"Yeah... It was really cool!" Ash said.

Anabel smiled up at him, "Thanks for taking me with you guys, Mr. Ketchum. It was nice."

"No problem! Any friend of Ash's is welcome to come with us anytime." Jonathan said, waving it off. "Now... what do you guys say that we go out to eat? I'm sure that we—" He made a motion towards them, as a group, and then to the Poké Balls clipped onto his belt, "—are all very hungry."

"Now that you mention it, dad..." Ash began to say.

XXXXXX

(Later)

A Psychic is a term that referred to a person, male or female, that had possessed supernatural abilities that stemmed from their mind. No one was quite sure where a psychic's powers came from, as it didn't seem that it was hereditary or any other natural reasons, only that they existed. Furthermore, Psychics had existed for a very long time.

Despite the fact that Psychics had powers, some of them considered it a curse. The reason was very simple: a Psychic's power(s) could drive them insane if they didn't gain control over it. Most 'normal' people couldn't understand the reasoning behind it, though it was very simple.

Imagine being able to able to hear the thoughts of everyone around. A Psychic who has mastered their abilities can block out or mute the thoughts until they could be ignored. A Psychic who _couldn't_ control their abilities would be unable to push the thoughts away from themselves and each thought would be demanding the Psychic's attention. If the Psychic didn't gain control, the thoughts would eat away at them until they killed themselves to get rid of 'the voices', sought help, or ran away.

That was one of the reasons that Sabrina Hearst was held in such high regards. After gaining control of her powers, with the help of a Psychic from another region, she had set out to help those like her. She had done everything within her power to find untrained Psychics and help them learn how to control their powers. Despite the impossibility of the situation, she had actually managed to do it.

So, walking into Saffron City's Pokémon Gym, it wouldn't be a surprise to see over a dozen Psychics training with their Pokémon. Like their Pokémon, they were out on the hardwood floors bending spoons with their minds, levitating objects, or staring at each other as they tried to block each other's mind-reading abilities.

It was, though, eerie when all of them turned their heads when Ash, Anabel, Delia, and Jonathan entered the Gym. The Psychics stared at the new arrivals with sharp, calculating gazes. In particular, they seemed to be gazing the two pre-teenager Pokémon Trainers.

"At ease." Sabrina said as she walked into view. At her voice, the Psychics turned to face her and visibly relaxed. Sabrina looked gazes with the four standing by the entrance to the Gym, "If you would follow me, please."

Sabrina waited for the four people to reach her before she led them towards a nearby staircase. Ascending it, she explained that she wouldn't be training Anabel in the main room. When asked about it, Sabrina told them that the emotions of the other Psychics would be too much for Anabel to take while training to control her powers.

"How are you going to train Anabel?" Ash asked.

Honestly, Ash was worried for his friend. He knew that Sabrina was a Gym Leader, and a powerful Psychic to boot, but he was having some doubts. Would Sabrina really be able to help Anabel? How could Sabrina help her, if she wasn't an empath like Anabel was? And, would the training _work_?

"Ash—" Delia began.

"It's okay, Mrs. Ketchum." Sabrina said, interrupting the brown-haired woman, having read her mind. After a pause, she began to speak again, "Both Psychic and Empath abilities stem from the mind, so their training methods are very similar. A Psychic needs to learn to clear their mind and build 'walls' that help him or her block out or mute the thoughts he or she is constantly receiving from other people. And that is where we will begin training Anabel."

Ash's face scrunched up as he slowly digested what Sabrina was saying, "By having her build walls?"

"Yes. These walls will form the basis of a shield that Anabel will eventually develop to protect her mind from the emotions of others." Sabrina continued on. "Once she has completed that stage, she will need to master the mental power that her abilities stem from. By doing that, she will learn how to control her powers."

"Sounds simple enough." Jonathan said.

Sabrina sighed, "Despite how it sounds, it isn't that easy Mr. Ketchum. It will probably take Anabel a couple of weeks to get her mental walls to an acceptable level. Mind you, that is the easy part. The actual mastering of her powers will take as long as it needs to." She paused for a moment, thinking. "The earliest I would say that she could be done is one month and three weeks from today... if she works at it non-stop."

Ash and Anabel exchanged startled glances. Almost two months, at the _earliest_? They knew that it wasn't going to be easy for Anabel and that it would take some time, but neither had thought that it would take _that_ long.

Furthermore, the Indigo League was beginning again in five months. Ash had wanted, and still wanted to, enter the Indigo League this year. He still _could_, if Anabel mastered her powers before the League began, but it would be very hard to gather the remaining Gym Badges within the remaining time they had.

Seeing the look on Ash's face, feeling his emotions, and partially sharing them made Anabel speak up. "Is there any way we could do it faster, Miss Sabrina?"

"There is no _safe_ way to, Anabel." Sabrina said, empathizing the word 'safe'. "Others would suggest you use a Psychic-Type Pokémon to speed up the process, but that is a very dangerous method. The _only_ time I would even consider doing that is if your life was in grave danger."

At the news, both Ash and Anabel wilted a little bit.

"I can tell that you are worrying about the Pokémon League. Don't." Sabrina said, surprising Ash and Anabel. "With Teleport Transport, you can teleport to any location in Kanto in the blink of an eye. So, even if this training takes longer than you expect, you can gather the remainder of the Gym Badges you need."

XXXXXX

(Pokémon Center—Ash & Anabel's Room)

Two hours after Sabrina had first began to teach Anabel found both the purple-haired girl and Ash back in their room. Anabel was lying down on her bed, groaning. Abra and Butterfree were doing what they could to relieve her headache. Even with their help, though, it felt like someone had taken her brain and scrubbed it with an abrasive sponge. It _hurt_, to say the least.

On the floor were Ash and his Pokémon. They were already sleeping. They would've been awake but Butterfree, having thought it would help if she was asleep, had used Sleep Powder. It hadn't worked as her headache kept her awake, feeling too bad to fall under the glimmering powder.

Anabel buried her head deeper into the pillow and mumbled, "I didn't think building those walls would be so painful..."

It hadn't taken her that long to fall into a semi-meditative trance. To be honest, though, she had prior experience with that. Before she had convinced her parents to let her go on her journey, she had looked for ways to control her powers or counter her headaches. While she hadn't found anything concrete on the former, she had read a book on meditation helping to 'clear one's mind'.

Admittedly, she had only been able to 'fall' into the trance a couple of days before her journey had started. By 'falling' into it, she had been able to shove away most of the pain her headaches caused her. She was also able to calm herself down. She had done the latter more than she cared to admit, before she had met Ash.

There was only so much loneliness a ten year-old, staying away from contact with other people, could stand after all.

"Abra Ra Abra?" Abra asked, concerned.

"Free Butter-free?"

Teeth clenched, Anabel unearthed her head and breathed. She relaxed, somewhat, as the pain lessened from unbearable to slightly unbearable. "I was just thinking of before we met Ash. Nothing you two need to worry yourselves over..."

Anabel didn't mean to worry Abra or Butterfree. Or _anyone_, really. Still, it seemed that, despite her intentions, she always got into situations that made others worry about her. Like when she had gotten sick as a child, that time on Mt. Moon, and now. Despite how hard she tried, she always made the people around her worry about her because she was a _burden_.

"Ra Abra Ra-abra!" Abra protested, having read her thoughts. "Ra!"

Butterfree's antennae twitched in confusion, "Butterfree Free Bu-free... butterfree?"

Such fierce Pokémon she had. No matter how weak she was, or how much of a burden she was to them, they always stuck by her side. Especially Abra. When she stuck out on her journey, she hadn't had any Pokémon, only a PokéDex and six Poké Balls.

She was _supposed_ to have gotten a Starter from a nearby Nurse Joy, but then Abra had appeared. She had lured him in with a part of her PB & J sandwich and tapped his nose with a Poké Ball while he was still eating it. One 'ding' latter and he was _hers_. Her very first Pokémon. Her first, Pokémon, friend.

Anabel and Abra had really bonded during the time between her capturing him and meeting Ash. Not only was Abra a Psychic-Type, he was a dutiful Pokémon that did his best to fulfill her every order. While she may have come up with the idea of charging up an attack, teleporting, and then releasing it towards an enemy, Abra did it. Abra made her idea reality through a lot of hard work and dutiful dedication.

Butterfree, though, had been an unexpected addition to her team. Anabel had caught the Bug-Type Pokémon during her and Ash's time in Cerulean City one day, when Ash had been out training. Like the other times Ash had been training, she had stayed close but given Ash some privacy. She had found a small grove of trees where she and Abra could train themselves. That was where she had met Butterfree.

At first, Butterfree had merely been an observer, watching her and Abra as they trained. One day, though, Butterfree had met them when they came into the grove. Anabel hadn't really understood what was happening at the time, but had guessed that Butterfree might want to train with them. Butterfree had nodded in agreement of her guess and was welcomed into their training sessions. Then, one day, instead of training, Butterfree had instigated a battle.

In the end, she and Abra had won, but not before discovering the shy Pokémon's motive; she wanted to be caught. Having grown close to the Bug-Type, Anabel had been happy to add Butterfree to her team. She had wanted to make it a team of Psychic-Type Pokémon, but Butterfree could _learn_ Psychic-Type moves. So, technically, she was still building a Psychic-Type team.

"I'm sorry that I upset you." Anabel finally said to her beloved Pokémon, looking down. Abra put one hand on her shoulder while Butterfree snuggled in close to her, offering whatever comfort they could. She took a deep breath. "... I'll try not to do that again."

Abra patted her shoulder, "Abra Ab-ra Ra-abra Abra."

"Free..." Butterfree chattered as she rubbed her head against Anabel's side. "Butterfree Free Butterfree."

Anabel's eyes developed a shimmering film to them at her Pokémon's words, and their emotions, before she buried her head under Butterfree's wings. Abra joined in the hug while mentally sending her peaceful, calming images to calm her down. Combined with Butterfree's earlier Sleep Powder and the comfort she was drawing from her two Pokémon, these images lulled Anabel into a dreamless sleep.

XXXXXX

(Saffron City—Team Rocket HQ)

"Mission accomplished, ma'am."

Domino looked up from her magazine to see one of the _advanced_ two-man teams standing in front of her. From what she remembered, the two of them were responsible for infiltrating Saffron City's police force. From what she knew of them, they were actually pretty good.

The duo was well-known within the organization for their use of Ditto. They would _wear_ Ditto before having the Ditto transform them into whomever they wanted to become. By doing this, they were able to infiltrate most areas without anyone being the wiser. And they were the best at it.

Still... "What do you mean that 'the mission is complete'?" Domino demanded.

"We mean to say that our mission, 'infiltrate Saffron City's police force', is complete." The seemingly brown-haired, brown-eyed male in typical grunt clothing answered. "We have _replaced_ one of Chief Jenny's oldest officers and one of the technicians."

The seemingly black-haired, brown-eyed woman spoke next. "We have already dealt with a leak that could've threatened Team Rocket. We have also been asked to help oversee the investigation into the death of the future leak."

"Have you?" Domino asked with a faint grin. She had been amused when she had read the paper this morning and had laughed a couple of times. All of the clues were there but no one seemed willing to piece it together. She should've known that these two were responsible. Her grin morphed into a smirk, "My, my... You two certainly have been _naughty_~..."

* * *

Ash's Pokémon Team:

Eevee (Female): Level 20.

Attacks: Tackle (Normal), Sand Attack (Normal), Scratch (Normal), Tail-Whip (Normal), Helping Hand (Normal), Growl (Normal), Bite (Dark), and Quick Attack (Normal).

Pidgeotto (Male): Level 17.

Attacks: Sand Attack (Ground), Tackle (Normal), Gust (Flying), Peck (Flying), and Whirlwind (Flying).

Rattata (Male): Level 19.

Attacks: Bite (Dark), Tackle (Normal), Quick Attack (Normal), Hyper Fang (Normal), Scratch (Normal), Pursuit (Dark), and Quick Swim (Normal).

Beedrill (Male): Level 18.

Attacks: String-Shot (Bug), Poison-Sting (Poison), Bug-Bite (Bug), Fury Attack (Normal), and Twineedle (Bug).

Clefairy (Female): Level 14.

Attacks: Sing (Normal), Pound (Normal), Metronome (Normal), DoubleSlap (Normal), and Defense Curl (Normal).

Paras (Male): Level 17.

Attacks: PoisonPowder (Poison), Stun Spore (Grass), Sleep Powder (Grass), Spore (Grass), Leech Life (Bug), and Fury Cutter (Bug).

Anabel's Pokémon Team:

Abra (Male): Level 22.

Attacks: Teleport (Psychic), Psyshock (Psychic), Confusion (Psychic), and Psychic (Psychic).

Butterfree (Female): Level 17.

Attacks: Confusion (Psychic), Poisonpowder (Poison), Stun Spore (Grass), Harden (Bug), Sleep Powder (Grass), and String Shot (Bug).

* * *

**A/N: Author's Note:** Well, that's the end of this chapter. We got to see Chief Jenny beginning an investigation into the death of that grunt, see Jonathan and Delia getting Ash and Anabel's minds off what's been going on, were briefly introduced to Pokémon Contests, now know that Anabel is training to control her powers and how... a lot of stuff happened.

Still... I think that training is unearthing some issues and self-doubts about herself that Anabel wishes to remain buried. Or was it the arrival of her father? What _is_ her father doing now? Where did he and Anabel's mom go? What do Jonathan and Delia suspect? What can they do about it? Can they do anything about it?

Wait... why am I asking you guys these questions? Oh, yeah. It makes me glad to get your opinions on this stuff and take them into account. So, review! It helps motivate my high-functioning autistic self to write faster~!

Shout outs to: **Hironada** (for beta-ing this chapter), **Sharkteeth** (for being a second beta and helping when hironada was away), **fantasy12 **on yourfanfiction (for doing one of my challenges), and everyone else that has reviewed. I love you guys~!


	24. Chapter 24:

Disclaimer: I do not, nor have I ever, owned anything related to Nintendo's _Pokémon_ franchise.

* * *

Legend:

"A human or a Pokémon is talking."

'_A human or a Pokémon is thinking.'_

"**A machine is being used."**

* * *

Chapter 24:

* * *

(Pallet Town—Professor Oak's Laboratory)

Professor Oak was currently looking around in his personal library for something that his colleague, Professor Birch, had asked him about. He _knew_ that he had it somewhere in here, but he was having a little bit of trouble remembering where he had placed it. Maybe he should invest in getting some sort of organizational system.

"What was it called again...?" Professor Oak asked himself, pausing in his search. "Was it "Legends"...? No..." He shook his head, dismissing the thought. "It wasn't that, but it did have a form of legend in the title... "Legendary Heroes"? No. "The Legend of Kanto"? No. Why would Birch want a book on Kanto, anyway...?"

It was really bothering him. Professor Birch had asked about the book he was looking for because he hadn't the time to go out and get it himself. Birch had said that he needed it because he had a lead that could explain Ash's Pokémon Egg. Birch needed that book to see if his theory wasn't a rumor that had been spread about or if it was really true. After all, it was very doubtful that a Legendary Pokémon would—

"That's it!" Professor Oak exclaimed as he spotted the book he needed, just as he remembered its name. Picking it off the shelf, he then looked at the book. "Gotcha, little fella."

And wouldn't Birch be happy when he transported this over to him! Not only would he be helping Birch solve the mystery of Ash's strange Pokémon Egg, he would be taking something off of his colleague's to-do list. Professor Oak felt responsible. He hadn't _made _Birch get involved. Then again, he _had_ accidentally forwarded his email to Professor Elm about Ash's egg to Professor Birch...

Professor Oak's eyebrow scrunched up in thought. "... I'll send him an offer to help with some of the projects he's got going on." He said before nodding to himself . It sounded like a good way to help his too-busy colleague. He laughed, "After all, two brains are better than one!"

XXXXXX

(Two Weeks Later—Saffron City—Pokémon Gym)

At the moment, Ash Ketchum could be found battling with his Paras against a brown-haired Psychic, Terry Whittle, and his Drowzee. He had quickly discovered that Terry was no small threat, after the first time he had lost to the older boy, because of a combination that everyone else in this Gym seemed to have. Well, every _Psychic_, considering that the strategy only _worked_ with a Psychic.

"Use Spore!" Ash ordered quickly. Since he had started battling Psychics at this Gym, he had found it frustrating that they could read his mind and counter every move he made before he even said it aloud. To counter this, he had started to order commands as soon as he thought of them.

In response, Paras began to click his claws together before spores began to form in the air between them. The crab-like Pokémon then sent the spores forth with a final click and push of his claws. In the middle of the battlefield these spores clashed with Drowzee's Poison Gas. The spores were able to absorb a large amount of the gas despite their small size, but ultimately failed to hold back the attack, which then snuck closer to Paras.

_'I hate it when they don't talk...'_ Ash thought to himself. In battle Psychics ever, if rarely, spoke to the other Trainer or to verbalize their commands. It made it both creepy, as the Psychic stared very intently at the person they were fighting, and frustrating because they didn't give a hint as to what their plan was. "Poisonpowder, Paras!"

It was a snap decision, like his other orders have been, but why not fight fire with fire?

The mushrooms on Paras' back quivered as light purple powder fell off of them and formed into a small, growing cloud over Paras' back. With a "Ra", this cloud was sent forward to clash against Drowzee's Poison Gas. The two attacks clashed only seven feet away from Paras where they came to a stop. Neither attack was able to pass through the other, leaving a stalemate. And then it happened.

A smell of something cooking and the sound of something sizzling came before the poisonous mixture of gas and powder ignited. There was a great kaboom that temporarily made Ash's ears ring as he was blinded by a bright white light, shielding his face with his left arm. The room seemed to shake for a moment and Ash stumbled before he slipped and fell onto his knees. He tried to make sense of what had just happened but could not.

When everything stopped spinning and he could see again, Ash looked up. He saw Paras on the ground, looking as if he had taken a Flamethrower, lying on the ground, unconscious. A little bit away was a scorch mark on the floor and, beyond that, Terry and his Drowzee.

"I didn't think that would've caused that big of an explosion, so I apologize." Terry said with a small half-bow.

Ash's eyes widened, "You caused that explosion?! How?"

Drowzee were known mainly for their Psychic-Type moves, of which they had a natural talent for Hypnosis. The species could also learn Normal-Type and some Poison-Type moves, but that was it. Drowzees didn't have the ability to learn any other type of move. _Especially_ not any kind of Fire-Type moves.

"I heard you planning to take advantage of the poison smokescreen to have your Paras use a combination of Stun Spore and Fury Cutter. If that had happened, then that Stun Spore could have pushed the Poisonpowder/Poison Gas cloud towards Drowzee and made him unable to dodge." Terry explained with his usual blank expression.

"You caused an explosion because you didn't want to lose?" Ash demanded incredulously. Any other person in his place would feel the same, too, if they had almost been caught in an explosion. A thought occurred to him, "You still didn't answer my question. How did you do it?"

Terry placed a hand on his Drowzee's head, "Simple. I knew that I would come across a situation where Drowzee would need an advantage. I sought out Sabrina's guidance and she suggested that I buy a TM so Drowzee could learn a move to provide him that advantage."

So that was how Drowzee had done it: a Technical Machine. Technical Machines, TM for short, had been designed to teach a Pokémon a move that it couldn't learn naturally. Of course, it could still be used on a Pokémon that could learn the move later which would be a huge waste, considering how _expensive_ TMs were. According to his dad, and what he had seen of them in stores, just _one_ TM costed around ¥10,000.

Still, some Trainers would be willing to do anything, pay anything, to get a TM. TMs would provide the Trainer a new ability that they could teach their Pokémon. By doing that, they could have a hidden advantage that, when pulled out, could turn the tide of battle into their favor. It didn't mean that they would necessarily win. It just meant that they would have a higher chance of winning.

Ash sighed as he recalled Paras back to his Poké Ball, "I guess I can understand..." His eyes narrowed in Terry's directions, "but that doesn't mean that I like it! You could've blown up the whole room with that move, Terry!"

"I agree."

Both Trainers turned around to see that their conversation had drawn the attention of every other Psychic in the room. Really, Ash knew they were probably staring because of the explosion, but that didn't help the creepiness factor that it caused. He shuddered.

The new speaker was a woman with long, strawberry-blonde hair and green eyes. She was wearing a white blouse, a knee-length black skirt, and a pair of black slippers. Really, if Ash hadn't seen the woman levitate her Poké Balls around her hand, or read his mind in a battle they had had, he would've assumed that she was a regular Trainer.

"That stunt you pulled could have done more than leave a scorch mark on the floor, Terry. It could have killed Ash's Paras, your Drowzee, or grown big enough to kill both you and Ash." The woman—Samantha Roberts—said in a clipped tone. "You also forget that we are inside Ms. Sabrina's Gym; like Ash said, that explosion could have "blown up the room" and _destroyed_ this Gym."

Terry winced slightly, "I apologize for my mistake, Mrs. Roberts."

"As you should." Mrs. Roberts said before glancing around at the other people crowding around, "Now, as for you lot... Ms. Sabrina is running a _Gym; _it's not a gawking club. So either get back to training or _get out_."

The next several seconds were filled by the frantic efforts as the crowd hastened to obey Mrs. Roberts. Ash had been interested to find out that Mrs. Roberts was one of Sabrina's assistants that helped her run Saffron's Pokémon Gym. Heck, he hadn't even _known_ that Gym Leaders needed help running their Gyms before. But, it was true. Mrs. Roberts did a lot of paperwork, maintained order and helped the Psychics training at the Gym when Sabrina couldn't, and a hundred other things.

So, after seeing what Mrs. Roberts had to do, Ash couldn't imagine the Saffron Pokémon Gym running without her. She was just _that_ important to the Gym and all of the people who came by—challenger of the Gym, customers for their Teleport Transport service, or just regular Trainers coming to train—that one couldn't imagine it without her.

"And Ash...?" Mrs. Roberts said, turning towards him once the stampede had ended. "Ms. Sabrina's session with Anabel is over for today."

Ash smiled, "Thanks, Mrs. Roberts!"

While he and his parents had been allowed to attend Anabel's first session, they had been banned from the rest. Admittedly, Ash had felt a little hurt about this, thinking that Anabel didn't want them—him—around anymore. That had been before his parents had set him down and explained what Sabrina had told them. This process would be very trying for Anabel and their presences could only make it worse. Eventually, they would be brought in one-by-one as Anabel learned to master her powers, getting her used to feeling a greater number of people's emotions.

It was mainly because he had been kicked out, though, that Ash had started training at the Gym. He couldn't exit the building, without Anabel with him, without causing the very consequences that everyone was worrying about. So, he had paid the fee to train at the Gym. The rest, as they say, was history.

While he had been losing almost all of his matches here, Ash wouldn't say that it was a bust. He had managed to raise his team by several levels, learn a couple of moves, or practice using a move differently.

Eevee was now at level 25, Pidgetto was at level 20, Rattata was at level 21, Beedrill was at level 20, Clefairy was at level 17, and Paras was at level 19. Eevee had learned how to use Covet and Take Down, Rattata had learned to use Sucker Punch, Beedrill had learned how to use Rage, and Clefairy had learned to use Follow Me and Bestow. And he had gotten some help from his dad in training Clefairy how to to use Sing differently.

That had certainly paid off last week when Clefairy had managed to counter Drowzee's Hypnosis. Admittedly, it hadn't been enough for him to defeat Terry, but it had allowed Clefairy to get in a few good moves before Drowzee had finished her off.

Ascending the the second floor via the staircase Sabrina had taken them up on their first day, Ash then saw Anabel leaving "her" training room. When she saw him, a smile tired smile appeared on her face before she began to walk over.

Usually, Anabel was very exhausted after her training sessions and wanted to be alone. On those days, Ash did his best to make sure his friend was okay, even if that meant just sitting around and reading a book while she crashed. On the better days, Anabel would take them out to do something or just hang out in their room at the Pokémon Center.

"Hey." Anabel said as she came to a stop a couple of feet away from him. "Get some good training in today, Ash?"

Ash smiled. It seemed that today was a "good day", if Anabel was willing to talk with him. "Yeah, I did. Against Terry." He said as they began to walk back towards the staircase, "I didn't win, but that has happened a lot since I began training here."

"To be fair, you are going up against Psychics." Anabel said.

That was just like Anabel. Knowing that he was feeling down about something and then saying something, or pointing out something, that would make him feel better. Hearing it now made him smile and a warm feeling to expand in his stomach. _Anabel_ was coming back.

"Yeah, but they're really good. And Terry, well... he caused an explosion in our match." Ash replied.

Anabel's eyes widened, "So it was you guys that caused that shake I and Ms. Sabrina felt?" She stepped closer to him, noticing his ruffled clothing with a new concern. "Are you okay, Ash? You could have gotten hurt!"

"I'm okay. I promise." Ash tried to reassure her, but Anabel wasn't having any of it. She stared at him until he broke down and started to explain. "It happened after I had Paras block Terry's Drowzee's Poison Gas with Poisonpowder. He was reading my mind, saw the plan I was forming, and believed that I could actually pull it off. So, he had his Drowzee use some form of Fire-Type move and that ignited the gas, causing the explosion."

Anabel latched onto him, burying her head into his shoulder. "T-That _idiot..._" She sniffled slightly before clutching Ash tighter, as if to make sure he was still there. "He could've really hurt you, Ash..." She shook her head, "Just because he didn't want to _lose_? What a jerk..."

If Anabel had seen Terry at that moment, she would probably tear him a new one. The jerk had caused an explosion that could have _killed_ Ash. She would've never been able to see him or spend time with him ever again. Anabel didn't know if she could take a loss like that. Just the mere _thought_ of it caused her heart to plummet to where her stomach was.

"You will be pleased to learn, then, that Terry is receiving his punishment by Mrs. Roberts, Anabel." Sabrina stated as she walked into view of the two Pokémon Trainers. Said Trainer broke apart at the sound of her voice, saying her name in shocked surprise. "Mrs. Roberts will ensure that he will not to repeat such an action again."

"Terry won't get in that much trouble, will he?" Ash asked.

"He is going to get a sufficient amount of punishment for what he has done so that he will not repeat such an action again." Sabrina paused, considering it. "He will most likely be assigned various demeaning chores to do as soon as he arrives here, to dissuade him from causing another explosion lest he get those same punishments again."

"That sounds smart."

"It's one of various behavior modification techniques that people have developed." Sabrina said before she turned around, "Come. There is something I would like to discuss with the two of you."

Ash and Anabel exchanged looks.

"Is it bad? Do I need to call my parents?" Ash asked.

"You can contact your parents if you wish to do so, but it isn't "bad"." Sabrina said before she gestured towards Ash's backpack. "It's about something my Psychics have noticed one of your Pokémon doing and about that Pokémon Egg in your backpack."

XXXXXX

(Saffron City—Police HQ)

Chief Jenny could be best described as frustrated at the moment. The reason for this was simple: the task force she had assembled to investigate the death of that Rocket Grunt had yet to find anything. She hadn't been expecting the group to unearth the mole(s) within her police force that easily, but she had thought that task force would be able to handle it.

After all, the team was being led by two of her most experienced officers: Timothy Jackle and Sarah Belle.

Timothy and Sarah were legends in sniffing out the truth in a situation. They spotted holes in a suspect's story more quickly than a supercomputer could process data and had solved numerous cases each, just by confronting their suspect with the holes. So... it should have been no problem for them to have found a hole in one of the police officer(s) story and narrow down the pool of suspects. Despite their skills, however, the suspect pool remained broad.

_'Damnit_!' Chief Jenny slammed her gloved fist on the top of her desk._ I'f Timothy and Sarah can't narrow down the suspect list, the the bastard(s) responsible for that attack must have hidden their tracks well.' _She thought with an aggravated expression on her face. _'How good _are_ these people?!'_

XXXXXX

(Saffron City—Pokémon Gym—Sabrina's Office)

"Welcome." Sabrina greeted from behind her desk as Mr. and Mrs. Ketchum entered the room. Mr. and Mrs. Ketchum returned her greetings as they walked over to the two available chairs in front of her desk, next to where Ash and Anabel were already sitting down. "I'm glad that you could come."

Jonathan gave a brief nod, "The moment we heard that this was about that strange Pokémon Egg that Ash found on Mt. Moon, we came right over."

While Jonathan and Delia had come with Ash and Anabel to the first couple of Anabel's training sessions, they had slowly backed off. Jonathan hadn't wanted the two children to come to rely on him and Delia too much, as they were supposed to be learning how to rely on themselves. And while the children had, so far, neither Delia nor Jonathan wanted the children to lose that. So, they had backed off a bit.

Now, though, was an entirely different manner. This was about that egg that Ash and Anabel had found on Mt. Moon. The egg that wasn't in the current Pokémon Breeder's handbook or recognizable by any Pokémon Professor. An egg that had apparently resided within the legendary Moon Stone for countless years and, defying the laws of nature, continued to live without a hint of decomposition or petrification.

To say the least, Mr. and Mrs. Ketchum were as excited about whatever possible information that Sabrina may have learned about the egg as Ash and Anabel were. Jonathan was probably even more so, with the way he had marveled at and studied the egg when he had first gotten his hands on it, considering the fact that he was practically bouncing in his seat.

"I have been contacted by a colleague Professor Oak, Professor Birch, this morning with news regarding Ash's Pokémon Egg." Sabrina began to say before she pulled out a book, titled "Legendary Pokémon Sightings". "According to his research, this egg could be involved with the sighting of Rayquaza in 1549."

"Rayquaza...?" Ash asked.

Turning towards Ash, Jonathan then spoke. "Rayquaza is a Legendary Pokémon that is rumored to spend most of its time flying through the atmosphere. Unlike some other Legendary Pokémon, Rayquaza hasn't been around at one location long enough for Pokémon Professors to gain any knowledge about its behavioral patterns."

Ash and Anabel blinked.

A Legendary Pokémon was involved with this? With his Pokémon Egg? While it didn't sound as crazy as his "the Pokémon Egg is an alien" theory, it was very hard to believe. Legendary Pokémon were a group of extremely rare and powerful Pokémon that were untamable. It was really rare to sight a Legendary Pokémon, which was one of the reasons that—besides their power—Legendary Pokémon were called "Legendary".

Young children were brought up with stories about Legendary Pokémon. In Kanto, the children were told stories involving the "Legendary Birds": Moltres, Zapdos, and Articuno. These birds were rumored to have the ability to change the weather with their mere _presence_ and their attacks more powerful than any other creature—besides another Legendary—in their respective type.

"So... you're saying that my egg could be involved with a Legendary?" Ash asked slowly.

Sabrina closed her eyes, "The Sighting of 1549 was one of the most significant sightings of Rayquaza because, unlike the other sightings of it, Rayquaza didn't come to rest. It came to do battle."

"Battle...?"

"Yes. According to the written accounts of that time period, a comet had crashed into the outskirts of a village. According to what was written, that comet changed into two identical Pokémon before Rayquaza appeared and attacked them." Sabrina stated, opening the book to a dog-marked page and pointing to the crude drawing within. "Rayquaza defeated them and banished what was left of them into the ocean."

Without knowing it, Ash wrapped his left arm around it. He startled when he felt a warm feeling brush against the inside of his left arm and looked down. The egg seemed to be pulsing slightly, pulsing gently, like a heart. The movement and warmth soothed him much like his mother had when he had woken up crying from a bad dream when he was little.

"So, you're saying that this egg could be like those other two Pokémon from a long time ago?" Ash asked.

"Professor Birch thinks that they could be the same or a similar species of Pokémon from outer space." Sabrina stated before she paused for a moment. "Professor Birch has also been digging into anything related to that village in which the battle took place occurred nearby and he found something. Ten years ago, Pokémon Professor Lung was doing a field study in that area and discovered an egg that has a 90% similarity to Ash's egg."

To everyone listening to the Psychic Gym Leader, it felt as if someone had just flipped a switch. They had began to connect the dots even before Sabrina was even half-way into her explanation, but hearing it was a different matter. It made the situation, and their thoughts about it, real. And _that_ wasn't something to be taken lightly.

The reason was simple: Ash has discovered an egg belonging to a species of creatures coming from another planet. Each of them knew of the legends and rumors surrounding Staryu and Starmie, but those rumors hadn't been proved; there was no evidence to back them up. This, however, had the discovery of a _very_ similar egg to Ash's egg, the studies in Hoenn about that egg, and the word of a well-respected Pokémon Professor.

It felt—

The room shook violently as the sounds of explosions—close and distant—shattered the air. The chairs rattled in their positions while small small objects fell from their perches and onto the floor. Some glass pieces shattered into millions of silvery pieces while other things hit the floor with a single dent or without any damage at all.

"What's going on?!"

The pupils in Sabrina's eyes gained a bluish hue for a moment before subsiding. "It appears..." She began to say in a tight voice. "That this Gym and the city itself is being attacked. They bombed the entrance with Voltorb."

"Someone's attacking us?" Ash asked as he and the others slowly got up from their chairs, clutching onto the desk to stablize themselves on the rocking floor. "Who?"

By this point, Sabrina had already called out her Kadabra and was making her way to the door. She could have simply telported to where those grunts were battling her Physics, but it would be dangerous. If they did, she and Kadabra could appear in the path, or in the middle, of an attack. They could also be incapitated before they could do anything of use; despite her and Kadabra's skills, one surprise attack was all that was needed to take them out.

Besides... there were a number of grunts that had apparently snuck past her Physics. It would be minor token to... deal with them as she and Kadabra made their way towards the main floor. And when they did, there would be no mercy.

Hearing Ash's question, however, caused Sabrina to pause in the middle of the settling hallway. She turned, eyes outlined with blue psychic power. "You know the answer to that already, Ash. Who else but Team Rocket would dare to organize such an attack?"

* * *

Ash's Pokémon Team:

Eevee (Female): Level 25.

Attacks: Tackle (Normal), Sand Attack (Normal), Scratch (Normal), Tail-Whip (Normal), Helping Hand (Normal), Growl (Normal), Bite (Dark), Quick Attack (Normal), Covet (Normal), and Take Down (Normal).

Pidgeotto (Male): Level 20.

Attacks: Sand Attack (Ground), Tackle (Normal), Gust (Flying), Peck (Flying), and Whirlwind (Flying).

Rattata (Male): Level 21.

Attacks: Bite (Dark), Tackle (Normal), Quick Attack (Normal), Hyper Fang (Normal), Scratch (Normal), Pursuit (Dark), Quick Swim (Normal), and Sucker Punch (Dark).

Beedrill (Male): Level 20.

Attacks: String-Shot (Bug), Poison-Sting (Poison), Bug-Bite (Bug), Fury Attack (Normal), Twineedle (Bug), and Rage (Normal).

Clefairy (Female): Level 17.

Attacks: Sing (Normal), Pound (Normal), Metronome (Normal), DoubleSlap (Normal), Defense Curl (Normal), Follow Me (Normal), and Bestow (Normal).

Paras (Male): Level 19.

Attacks: PoisonPowder (Poison), Stun Spore (Grass), Sleep Powder (Grass), Spore (Grass), Leech Life (Bug), and Fury Cutter (Bug).

Anabel's Pokémon Team:

Kadabra (Male): Level 27.

Attacks: Teleport (Psychic), Psyshock (Psychic), Confusion (Psychic), Psychic (Psychic), Disable (Normal), Miracle Eye (Psychic), and Ally Switch (Psychic).

Butterfree (Female): Level 20.

Attacks: Confusion (Psychic), Poisonpowder (Poison), Stun Spore (Grass), Harden (Bug), Sleep Powder (Grass), String Shot (Bug), Gust (Flying), and Supersonic (Normal).

Sabrina's Pokémon Team:

Kadabra (Female): Level 40.

Attacks: Psychic (Psychic), Teleport (Psychic), Psyshock (Psychic), Confusion (Psychic), Kinesis (Psychic), Disable (Normal), Miracle Eye (Psychic), Ally Switch (Psychic), Psybeam (Psychic), Reflect (Psychic), Telekinesis (Psychic), Recover (Normal), Psycho Cut (Psychic), and Future Sight (Psychic).

* * *

**A/N: Author's Note: **Well, that's the end of this chapter. Tell me how you guys liked it in your reviews and/or PMs! Things such as what I did well, what you liked, and what I could improve upon.

I apologize in advance if you guys found the two week time-skip annoying or irritating. If I hadn't included that, however, you guys would have to deal with two weeks worth of filler. And I don't think I have the heart to keep you guys from the anticipated Attack on Saffron. The things that happened in that period will be elaborated on in the following chapters.

I am writing this in the library right now as some jerk hacked into my labtop and fried it from the inside-out. It's lucky that I managed to save my works or this chapter would have come out much later... Still, because of this, there will be a delay in my stories until I can get a new labtop. When I do get it, my priorities will be:

1. Uploading a Scarecrow Mainfan's Christmas Party challenge story that my co-author (Sharkteeth) and I have been working on.

2. Working on and uploading a new chapter of Amity's Arrancar.

3. Working on and uploading a new chapter of Fate: Chaos.

To finish this off, I would like to wish everyone a happy holidays. Thank you and goodnight.


	25. Chapter 25:

Disclaimer: I do not, nor have I ever, owned anything related to Nintendo's _Pokémon_ franchise.

* * *

Legend:

"A human or a Pokémon is talking."

'_A human or a Pokémon is thinking.'_

"**A machine is being used."**

* * *

Chapter 25:

* * *

(Saffron City—Pokémon Gym—Sabrina's Office)

The moment that Sabrina had walked out of view, Jonathan and Delia turned towards the two pre-teens staring after the woman in shock. "You both are going to stay here, where it's safe." Jonathan said with a serious, no-nonsense look on his face. Then, seeing Ash's head snap towards him and his mouth opened, Jonathan's expression firmed. "This is not open for negotiation; you will stay here."

"But—" Ash began to say.

Jonathan, however, was already running down the hallway after Sabrina. Both Ash and Anabel watched as two flashes of red light echoed throughout the halls before his Mandibuzz and Yamask could be seen floating on each side of him. Seconds passed before they also vanished, leaving Delia to close the door before locking it.

"Call out your Pokémon." Delia ordered, her lips thin as she continued to stare at the door. Her voice was strict and firm, a stark difference from the usual easygoing and gentle tone she spoke in. Shocked, to obeying her was all the two pre-teens could do. Catching the signature red glow, she allowed herself to feel the briefest flicker of relief. "Good. Now, we're going to bunker down behind Ms. Sabrina's desk and station your Pokémon around the room."

"Why aren't we going to help Dad?" Ash asked even as he reluctantly settled down behind Sabrina's desk with Anabel. "We've fought Team Rocket before."

"I told you that you were not to get involved with Team Rocket again and you won't." Delia stated after she had finished ordering the two pre-teen Trainers' Pokémon around in a defensive formation. "We're going to stay here, were its safe, and wait for your father, Ms. Sabrina, or the police to get back."

What Delia didn't mention, however, was that she would be using their Pokémon to blast any person wearing that heinous black or white outfit that opened the door. No one was going to touch even a single hair on Ash or Anabel's heads.

XXXXXX

(Saffron City—Pokémon Gym)

When Jonathan got down to the first floor of the Gym, he had but a few moments to take in what was going on. The bottom of the front wall was _gone—_scattered in little, flaming bits around the room—while a horde of black-clothed Rocket Grunts lead a multitude of Pokémon against the Psychics the Gym was known for. Already, a couple of bodies were littering the floor, victims of the explosion that had taken out the wall or the initial attack.

The room was full of Bug-Type and Dark-Type Pokémon attacking Physic Pokémon and the Psychics. Attacks flew through the air like a deadly rain while, below, flesh battled against flesh in an effort to demonstrate supremacy. It became clear, however, that the Rockets had been pressing their advantage, as most of the bodies on the floor belonged to Psychics or Psychic-Type Pokémon.

In the midst of the chaos of this floated Sabrina. Her eyes were glowing a deep blue as she used her power to rip Rocket Grunts off the floor and hurl them around like rag dolls. Any attack that came near the woman was reflected back onto the attackers by the woman's Kadabra.

Still, while it appeared as if Sabrina was taking control of the situation, Jonathan wasn't one to stand on the sidelines. Besides, if he got into the battle, there would be fewer losses for the Gym. "C'mon." Jonathan said as he jumped on top of Mandibuzz's back. "Let's go!"

"Not so fast." A rude voice stated before a Hitmonlee shot upwards, slamming a Rolling Kick into Mandibuzz's side. Jonathan was forced to tighten his grip on Mandibuzz's feathers so that he wouldn't fall off as Mandibuzz was forced backwards and stumbled to a halt. The Hitmonlee retreated to the side of a Rocket who had been making his way up the stairs. "If you want to help those losers, you'll have to beat me."

"You say that like it would be hard to do." Jonathan countered with a glare.

The Rocket clenched his fists at the jab to his skills, "I'll enjoy putting you out of your misery!"

Following that declaration, the Rocket's Hitmonlee moved forward to engage Jonathan and his Mandibuzz, only to be blocked by Yamask's Protect. This provided enough time for Mandibuzz to prepare and unleash a Gust, which threw Hitmonlee back at the Rocket as Yamask dodged to the side. The Rocket dodged to the side as his Hitmonlee fell down, quickly releasing another Pokémon from its Poké Ball.

XXXXXX

(Saffron City—Pokémon Dojo)

Everything had started out fine. He had woken up in a good mood and made breakfast, which he ate alongside his Pokémon. Afterwards, he had let them into the dojo so that they could begin their specially designed training regimens while opening the front doors. His students trickled in and began training alongside their Pokémon. He had walked amongst them, correcting their forms or offering advice.

It was only a few minutes before he had went to call everyone together when it happened. Something blew the doors open and when he had turned to face it, he felt himself be lifted into the air before he was thrown into the back wall. If he was a regular man, that attack would have probably put him out of the fight.

He wasn't a regular man. He was Kiyo—Master of the Pokémon Dojo, partner to several event-winning Pokémon, and Karate King. A move like that had only served to crack the wall. He was sure that his back would bruise up some, but that was all it did. Well, besides making him angry, of course.

Kiyo was getting up when his attacker walked into the dojo, seemingly uncaring of all of the hostile gazes directed towards her. The reason became apparent when Ricky Vetz, one of Kiyo's more hot blooded students, rushed forward in an attempt to take the woman down. Only feet away from her, Ricky froze as a blue glow enveloped his body.

'_A Psychic?'_ Kiyo thought, standing up and eyeing the woman with a wary look. She didn't look like one of those that he had seen around the city, but, with how she was holding Ricky in place, there was no mistaking it. She was a Psychic. But, what was her purpose? Why come into his dojo and attack him and one of his students? _'Does she think she can take us on all alone?'_

"Even with my Pokémon, it would be difficult to get rid of you all." The woman said. "That's why I'm didn't come alone."

No one had any time to think on that as, in the next moment, six more people in similar black outfits to the woman entered the dojo. Kiyo recognized the danger at once and opened his mouth to warn his students. He was stopped when one of the Psychics used their powers to slam him against the ceiling.

"Kiyo-sensei!"

"You'll pay for hurting Kiyo-sensei!"

Pulling himself off the ground, Kiyo was met with the sight of his students rushing forward to confront the line of Psychics. It was only then that he recognized the outfits that each of the people wore. It was the signature uniform belonging to the organization known as Team Rocket.

XXXXXX

At the same time that the attacks on Sabrina's Pokémon Gym and Kiyo's Pokémon Dojo had begun, other attacks in other places had begun. Of these places included the Pokémon Center, the Magnet Train Station, the police headquarters, and a couple of businesses that had refused Team Rocket. Of these businesses, one was more important than the rest.

The reason? It was more important than the other companies because it was developing a technology that Team Rocket wanted: the Master Ball. It wasn't a new technology in itself, more like another variation of the standard Poké Ball, but it was the variation in itself that made it important. In theory, the Master Ball would be capable of catching any Wild Pokémon, regardless of how powerful it was or what its health status was.

In other words, the Master Ball could be used to capture Legendary Pokémon.

While the organization was continuing to develop their Control Collars, they didn't always work at 100% and had limits. As it was now, the collars wouldn't be able to subdue anything near a Legendary Pokémon's power. While that would change as technology progressed, it was too slow for the Boss' tastes. So, other avenues were looked at. They were lucky to have heard rumors of the Master Ball.

One would say that developing a plan to attack multiple locations in the largest city in the country was a bad idea. Suicidal, even. Then again, with enough preparation and planning, anything was possible. This was proven in how Domino had divided her forces for each specific tasks; she sent them to areas where they had the advantage to optimize their level of success. And, so far, it was working.

Sabrina's Pokémon Gym had been attacked by a battalion of grunts wielding Bug and Dark-Type Pokémon. The reports coming in from the Gym suggested that the initial attack had gone as planned and that they were now engaging with Sabrina and her Psychics. Domino didn't hold out much hope that her men would be able to win there, but she had sent them there to distract Sabrina, not beat her.

Kiyo's Pokémon Dojo had been attacked by a small group of Psychics. After some resistance, they had established their authority and had taken over the dojo. It was to be expected, after all: Fighting-Type Pokémon were weak against Psychic-Type Pokémon.

The plan for the Magnet Train was going as planned. Last night, they had blown up the tracks, stalling and preventing the Magnet Train from returning home. Today, they had attacked the station to hold hostage those technicians and workers within the station.

Speaking of the police, the police headquarters was also under an indirect attack. Not only did they have to deal with the hostage situation at the Magnet Train Station, they were getting calls of Team Rocket activity from all over the city. Reports of arson, robberies, vandalism, assault, bombing, and etc. All in all, it meant that the police were spread out too thin and, while doing their best to help and serve the populace, there were only so much that they could do.

Getting at the main objective to this operation, however, wasn't proving to be as easy.

XXXXXX

(Saffron City—Silph Co. Building)

At the moment, one would find Domino sitting on a table in front of a group of bound Silph Co. employees, frowning as she glanced through a folder. After a moment, she threw it away from her, scowling as the useless papers scattered and added onto the mess of paperwork on the floor. The sight of that, alongside the clueless grunts looking around like Pidgeys with their heads cut off, only fueled the irritation that she felt.

This was supposed to be the easy part of her operation!

Under her command, Team Rocket had stormed the building that served as Silph Co.'s headquarters. Dealing with Silph Co.'s security had been enough of a hassle. The guards, while unused to action, had been quite the nuisance in how many grunts they had taken down and knocked out before they had been subdued. That wasn't even mentioning the time afterwards that Domino had been forced to use in order to break the Silph Co. pass card system and then slowly secure each level of the building.

So, why couldn't this part be easy? She was just looking for files regarding the Master Ball; what things were being used to make it, how it was being manufactured, how it was supposed to work, etc. Her task was made difficult by the fact that the hardworking Silph Co. employees had managed to destroy every electronic file they thought would be important before Domino and her men had managed to subdue them. So, they were wasting time looking through the paper copies that the company kept.

_'Looking through things like this is taking too much time.'_ Domino thought before glancing down at her hostages. They all looked suitably scared, but had refused to give up any information regarding the Master Ball documents or if Silph Co. had even produced a prototype of it yet. There was evidence that Silph Co. had produced one, but these fine people had destroyed every prototype and secret invention they had been working on. Bastards. "I'm _done_."

"Good."

Domino held herself in check and instead got off from the desk, glancing down at the Silph Co. employee that had spoken up. "You don't understand. When I said "I'm done", I meant that I'm done messing around. I see now that I haven't been... persuasive... enough in getting the information I want from."

There was a pop of displaced air as Domino released an Ekans from a black Poké Ball that had hung, unnoticed, from her belt. With a pointed gesture from Domino, the snake began to slither towards the bound people, who hushed and tried in vain to get away from the creature. It was in vain, as they couldn't move much in their bindings.

Soon enough, the Ekans reached them. It slithered onto the first person, who forced herself not to open her mouth in lest she start screaming and have the creature hurt her. So scared was she that the woman held her breath until the Ekans had slithered onto the next person. The Ekans repeated the same loop around the man's body as it had her and, when it was done, moved onto the next person. It did this until it reached the man who had spoken out and, instead of moving on... it stayed.

The Ekans' body stopped moving when its head was resting on the man's left shoulder, breathing hot, rancid breaths onto his trembling neck. The other bound employees shared fearful looks and didn't dare to breathe. One wrong move and their coworker and friend would be bitten or worse.

Domino made a small sound to draw everyone's attention. The smile on her face was most notable, which only caused the bound men and women to shiver in fear. Not in fear of the smile itself, but in fear of the smile when combined with the icy look in Domino's eyes.

"Now, then, unless anyone wants to watch my Ekans kill that man," Domino practically purred, "one of you esteemed people will tell me the location of the documents regarding the Master Ball. If not..." She closed her eyes and shrugged. Ekans hissed, sending small droplets of burning saliva onto its captive's neck and making him whimper. "Ekans will just have to kill you after she kills him~!"

Was there really any other choice they could have made?

XXXXXX

(Saffron City—Pokémon Gym—Second Floor Hallway)

It was to be said that while Jonathan had been a great Pokémon Trainer in his youth, his time as a Pokémon Archeologist had dulled his skills in battling. Studying, excavating, and exploring ancient ruins was something he had a deep passion for, but it wasn't a career that one needed that much skill in Pokémon battles. No, one simply had to have a good understand geology, geography, history, Pokémon and human physiology, and so on.

Of course, Wild Pokémon could be and were expected around certain areas, so dealing with them wasn't that uncommon. With his team, Jonathan had encountered, dealt with, and had grown used to such attacks. But therein lied the problem; he had grown used to it. He had grown used to dealing with coming into a Wild Pokémon's nesting ground and scaring them away. So, with this knowledge, one could forgive the man for being rusty in a two-on-two Pokémon Battle.

Originally, Jonathan had gotten onto his Mandibuzz's back in the thought that he would fly down to the main battlefield and provide assistance from above. Pierce—the name of the Team Rocket grunt that Jonathan was fighting—had used this against Jonathan until the older man had managed to get off his Pokémon's back, cradling his newly-broken left arm and bruised left side.

Those injuries had come from a devastating Rolling Kick that Pierce's Hitmonlee had hit him and Mandibuzz with while Pierce's Hitmonchan had attacked his Yamask with a Pursuit. And that had followed the relentless rain of moves that Pierce had his two Fighting-Type Pokémon use.

Now, though, Jonathan was leaning against the right wall as he watched the ongoing battle with sharp eyes, issuing out commands as his old battling instincts slowly returned to him. So, now instead of getting their collective buts handed to them, Jonathan and his team were managing to fight back. If things went the way he was planning, then he would soon lure Pierce's Pokémon into a trap he had been planning.

On the battlefield itself, Mandibuzz was lashing out at Hitmonchan with her beak, which the boxing glove-wearing creature kept dodging. Nearby, Yamask was using Protect to kept blocking the various kicks that Hitmonlee was sending at it, if only barely. It continued on like this until Pierce issued another order and, suddenly, Hitmonchan jumped towards Jonathan while it reared back its gloved fist. A fist that began to burn with bright red flames that had an orange core.

It was Fire Punch: a Fire-Type move that ignited the hand/arm of the Pokémon using it. Combined with the concrete-shattering power behind any Hitmonchan's punches, it made a deadly combination. One that no ordinary human should be capable of surviving.

_'He's getting impatient.'_ Jonathan thought before Mandibuzz landed in front of him, talons digging into the floor as she cawed at the incoming Pokémon. It was a surprise that Mandibuzz had managed to disengage from Hitmonlee and return to him so fast, but... despite her faults, Mandibuzz was a very loyal Pokémon. "Use Gust, Mandibuzz."

Mandibuzz obliged by beginning to flap her wings rapidly, soon creating a small gust that blew towards Hitmonchan. Pierce looked confused at this; with how close Hitmonchan was, Mandibuzz's Gust wouldn't be enough to blow Hitmonchan off course or stop it. The Rocket understood only when he saw the gust hit Hitmonchan's flaming gloves and fuel them, causing them to start growing. Pierce opened his mouth seconds before the strength of Mandibuzz's Gust increased, turning it into a flaming whirlwind as soon as it came into contact with Hitmonchan's gloves.

The flaming wind scorched and burned everything it touched as it travelled down the hallway, forcing Pierce to recall Hitmonlee so it could act as a meat shield for him. There simply wasn't enough time to do anything else and his Hitmonlee, while a strong fighter, was a Pokémon. If it didn't survive, it could and would be replaced. The same as his Hitmonchan. When it came down to it, all Pokémon were replaceable.

The fire hit and caused Pierce to grit his teeth at the heat he felt and the small embers that fell onto his clothing, searching for food. He got rid of them quickly but, otherwise, stayed still to ride out the attack. When it was over, he slowly stood up amongst the burning hallway. Small fires littered the floor and walls while, beyond, Jonathan's Mandibuzz and Yamask stood above the burnt, unconscious form of his Hitmonchan. Looking down revealed that his Hitmonlee was out of it as well, body blackened with numerous burns.

Pathetic.

Pierce reached for the remaining two Poké Balls on his belt, only to freeze as a blue glow overtook his body. "It's sad that you can feel contempt and hatred for Pokémon as loyal as that Hitmonlee and Hitmonchan are, if nothing else."

"The others should've been keeping you bastard Psychics busy." Pierce snarled, fighting to regain control of his body. He knew it was pointless to struggle, as he knew that blasted female who had just spoken, but she should have been still busy with the others.

"What others? Do you refer to the other Team Rocket grunts that were sent with you, to try and take down my Gym?" Sabrina asked as she walked into view with her Kadabra. At the same time, the nearby fires were also covered in identical blue glows and smothered while Pierce's Poké Balls slid off his belt, recalled Hitmonlee and Hitmonchan, and floated over to Sabrina. "Those people have been disposed of. Same as you will soon be."

Like a switch had been flipped, Pierce's head fell forward as his world went dark. A couple seconds later and the Rocket grunt fell to the floor in a boneless heap, no longer supported by Sabrina's psychic hold. Sabrina didn't spare him another glance and instead turned towards Jonathan as he approached, having recalled his Pokémon.

"I'm sorry that I was unable to provide any assistance." Jonathan said before glancing around, taking stock of the damage done to the hallway. "I'm also sorry for the fire. I saw an opportunity when his Hitmonchan was using Fire Punch..."

Sabrina looked at him for a moment before turning away, "Don't worry about such things, Mr. Ketchum. The Gym has more than enough money to cover the damages done today. Now, come along. I can still feel a few other _unwelcome_ presences within my Gym. You can help me by either helping my Psychics start taking stock of the main floor or you can assist by helping me take down the other Rockets."

XXXXXX

(Saffron City—Pokémon Gym—Sabrina's Office)

Delia had believed that bunkering down in Sabrina's office was the best course of action that she, Ash, and Anabel could have taken. Even so, the choice wasn't an easy one. They all constantly worried about what was going on beyond the walls of the office and about how well everyone was doing. While it hadn't been that long, to those within the room, it felt like it had been days since Jonathan and Sabrina had left.

It would later be thought by Delia how the quiet, tense atmosphere in the room had led to what happened. Anabel, curious and frightened, had gotten the idea in her head to see if she could feel anybody nearby with her ability to read emotions. She thought that, if she could know, she could help Delia and Ash with what she was able to learn. If she didn't, well, she would've given it a try.

Anabel lowered the barrier that Sabrina had helped her developed and peaked out from it. In an instant, her senses were bombarded with all of the emotions that she had hidden from since the start of Team Rocket's attack: anger, hate, loss, jealously, sadness, outrage, triumph, shock, horror, hopelessness, wicked glee. She was engulfed by these emotions and dragged under, kicking and fighting against the flood before she had a chance to retreat behind her barrier.

_'No! Let go! Let go!'_ Anabel shouted as she tried to claw her way out against the unending current of emotions. Distantly, she felt a hand on her shoulder and tried to focus on that, but was pulled away by an undercurrent of hate and a splash of surprise. _'I can't...! I don't want to feel all of this!'_

"Anabel?" A voice called in the distance as the hand lightly shook her shoulder, trying to get her attention.

Anabel swam against the current and managed to come across a spot of genuine, growing concern. She took a quick, deep breath and swam back out, towards that distant, urgent voice she could hear. It seemed like forever before she was finally able to fight her way there, flinging up her barrier to shut out the emotions from dragging her away again. A few still trickled past, a sign that the barrier wasn't as strong as before, but that didn't matter.

She was back.

At this realization, Anabel started to cry. She felt Ash, who she now knew had been the one calling her, and all-but fell onto him. That had been so scary. She had thought that she was going to get lost in that deluge of emotions and not be able to make it back. "I tried... to look out..." Anabel sobbed into his black shirt, "I-I... I couldn't... Too many..."

Confused, Ash could only rub her back while looking at his mom for help as she quickly walked over to them. He felt a little relieved when she half-drew Anabel out of his arms, as Anabel wouldn't let go of him, and started to say "It's okay" and "You're safe" to her over and over again. Time passed as Anabel slowly began to feel safe, tears slowing down into hiccups.

"... I'm sorry." Anabel murmured.

Delia's expression softened, "You were curious about what was going on and you didn't realize what would happen. We probably didn't help. But, honey," She looked Anabel in the eyes, "you need to talk to someone before you do that."

"... Okay."

It was that moment that was taking advantage of. You see, someone familiar to the two children had quietly opened the door while there were no eyes on it. This figure's eyes narrowed at the sight of what laid within the room before pulling back and grabbing at a Poké Ball that hung at her waist. There was a small pop of displaced air, a warning for what was to come.

The next moment was filled with the sight of Sabrina's door being thrown open, Delia startling as her eyes widened, and a general turning of heads towards the door. This allowed them to bear witness to a rapidly spinning ball race into the room and collide with Eevee, Pidgeotto, Clefairy, and Paras and send them flying in opposite directions. The ball dug a small hole in the floor as it span in place for a moment before suddenly jumping up and colliding with Beedrill and Butterfree, knocking the later into a charging Rattata.

"Now, Sing."

Obeying, the ball slowed just enough to reveal that it was actually a Jigglypuff before it began to release a stream of multi-colored notes from its mouth. The Pokémon in the room didn't stand a chance, unprepared as they were, and slowly slumped to the floor as they fell into restful slumbers. This left Ash, Delia, and Anabel alone in the room to face their sudden aggressors.

"You!" Ash exclaimed, eyes narrowing.

Jessie walked into the room with a disturbing look on her face, "I hadn't expected to find you here, but it seems that my luck is changing. To think I found the ones responsible for trashing my standing and almost ruining my career all in one convenient location." She glanced about the room, unconcerned of the tense-looking woman or the scattered bodies of the brats' Pokémon.

"You don't think that you can get away with this, do you?" Delia asked as she tried to think of a way out of this situation. That Ash and Anabel's Pokémon had already been taken out by that woman was bad, especially so when the woman had a strong Pokémon of her own to threaten them with.

"Probably. There are enough Grunts scattered about the building that'll take quite a while to clear out." Jessie answered easily, smiling as she released her Ekans into the room. She looked up at the other woman as Ekans moved closer to her, "I can't have you getting in the way of my revenge. Move and Ekans will strike you down where you stand."

"Taking revenge on _children_?"

Jessie's eyes narrowed, "You have no idea what those "children" have done. If it wasn't for them, my team wouldn't have been disbanded and be sent to suffer under assholes like Pierce." She scowled. "If it wasn't for them, I would still be looked at in a favorable light by the boss and not have to try continuously prove myself to him! I wouldn't have the sword above my neck that I do now."

"It wasn't our fault: it was yours! If you hadn't attacked the Pokémon Center or tried to steal the Moon Stone, then it would've never happened." Ash shot back, speaking despite the looks from his mom. "Don't blame somebody else for something that _you_ guys caused!"

"Ash—" Delia tried to say, moving over to try and stop her son. She was stopped by Ekans as it moved in front of her feet, snapping at her hands with a mouth glimmering with a liquid sheen. She stopped moving, wary of the creature. One wrong move and it would strike at and inject her with poison. If that happened, then she wouldn't be able to stop that woman: Ash and Anabel would get hurt. Maybe even worse.

"Why can't I blame you for what happened to me?" Jessie purred as she took a step forward, hands clenching with the desperate need to hurt the brat. "After all, I am in charge right now. I can do to you whatever I want to do to you."

* * *

Ash's Pokémon Team:

Eevee (Female): Level 25.

Attacks: Tackle (Normal), Sand Attack (Normal), Scratch (Normal), Tail-Whip (Normal), Helping Hand (Normal), Growl (Normal), Bite (Dark), Quick Attack (Normal), Covet (Normal), and Take Down (Normal).

Pidgeotto (Male): Level 20.

Attacks: Sand Attack (Ground), Tackle (Normal), Gust (Flying), Peck (Flying), and Whirlwind (Flying).

Rattata (Male): Level 21.

Attacks: Bite (Dark), Tackle (Normal), Quick Attack (Normal), Hyper Fang (Normal), Scratch (Normal), Pursuit (Dark), Quick Swim (Normal), and Sucker Punch (Dark).

Beedrill (Male): Level 20.

Attacks: String-Shot (Bug), Poison-Sting (Poison), Bug-Bite (Bug), Fury Attack (Normal), Tw needle (Bug), and Rage (Normal).

Clefairy (Female): Level 17.

Attacks: Sing (Normal), Pound (Normal), Metronome (Normal), DoubleSlap (Normal), Defense Curl (Normal), Follow Me (Normal), and Bestow (Normal).

Paras (Male): Level 19.

Attacks: PoisonPowder (Poison), Stun Spore (Grass), Sleep Powder (Grass), Spore (Grass), Leech Life (Bug), and Fury Cutter (Bug).

* * *

Anabel's Pokémon Team:

Kadabra (Male): Level 27.

Attacks: Teleport (Psychic), Psyshock (Psychic), Confusion (Psychic), Psychic (Psychic), Disable (Normal), Miracle Eye (Psychic), and Ally Switch (Psychic).

Butterfree (Female): Level 20.

Attacks: Confusion (Psychic), Poisonpowder (Poison), Stun Spore (Grass), Harden (Bug), Sleep Powder (Grass), String Shot (Bug), Gust (Flying), and Supersonic (Normal).

* * *

Jonathan's Pokémon Team:

Mandibuzz (Female): Level 35.

Attacks: Fly (Flying), Gust (Flying), Leer (Normal), Fury Attack (Normal), Pluck (Flying), Nasty Plot (Dark), Flatter (Dark), Faint Attack (Dark), Punishment (Dark), and Defog (Flying).

Sigilyph: (Male): Level 19.

Attacks: Gust (Flying), Miracle Eye (Psychic), Hypnosis (Psychic), Psywave (Psychic), Tailwind (Flying), Whirlwind (Normal), Psybeam (Psychic).

Yamask (Female): Level 20.

Attacks: Astonish (Ghost), Protect (Normal), Disable (Normal), Haze (Ice), Night Shade (Ghost), Hex (Ghost), and Will-O-Wisp (Fire).

* * *

Pierce's Pokémon Team:

Hitmonlee (Male): Level 30.

Attacks: Revenge (Fighting), Double Kick (Fighting), Mediate (Psychic), Rolling Kick (Fighting), Jump Kick (Fighting), Brick Brake (Fighting), Focus Energy (Normal), Feint (Normal), and Hi Jump Kick (Fighting).

Hitmonchan (Male): Level 21.

Attacks: Revenge (Fighting), Comet Punch (Normal), Fire Punch (Fire), Agility (Psychic), Pursuit (Dark), Bullet Punch (Steel), and Mach Punch (Fighting).

* * *

Jessie's Pokémon Team:

Jigglypuff (Female): Level 32.

Attacks: Sing (Normal), Defense Curl (Normal), Pound (Normal), Disable (Normal), Rollout (Rock), DoubleSlap (Normal), Rest (Psychic), Body Slam (Normal), and Gyro Ball (Steel).

Ekans (Male): Level 35.

Attacks: Wrap (Normal), Leer (Normal), Poison Sting (Poison), Bite (Dark), Glare (Normal), Toxic (Poison), Screech (Normal), Acid (Poison), Stockpile (Normal), Swallow (Normal), Spit Up (Normal), Acid Spray (Poison), and Mud Bomb (Ground).

* * *

**A/N: Author's Note**: Welp, that's the end of this chapter. Boy, was that a fun one to write! We got to see Delia trying to be tough and protect Ash and Anabel, Jonathan engaging in battle with Pierce, Koga's Dojo being attacked, get a general view of what's going on, see Domino threaten helpless Silph Co. employees, see Pierce be defeated, Sabrina and Jonathan team up, Anabel make a mistake, and then Jessie making Delia, Ash, and Anabel her hostages...

Now, before any of you complain, while Pierce is a competent battler, Jonathan has years of experience over him (even if his skills have gotten rusty) and he was planning ahead while Pierce was just trying to use Hitmonlee and Hitmonchan to beat him up. While it doesn't look like it, Sabrina is pissed off at Team Rocket for attacking her Gym and killing a lot of her friends.

Since this isn't rated "M", I didn't show what happened between Sabrina, her Psychics, and the Rockets that were attacking them. Just imagine the Rockets trying to hurt Sabrina and Sabrina laying the smack down on them, make sure her Psychics were safe, push her emotions away, and

then leave to clear out the rest of her Gym.


	26. Chapter 26:

Disclaimer: I do not, nor have I ever, owned anything related to Nintendo's _Pokémon_ franchise.

* * *

Legend:

"A human or a Pokémon is talking."

'_A human or a Pokémon is thinking.'_

"**A machine is being used."**

* * *

Chapter 26:

* * *

(Pokémon Gym—Sabrina's Office)

By the time that Jessie had finished speaking, the other occupants in the room were silent and tense. No one could refute the woman's statement as it was true. Without them having any Pokémon to defend themselves with, and Jessie having her Pokémon, they were trapped. The situation was made worse by the fact that Jessie had used Ekans to separate Delia from Ash and Anabel. If she tried to interfere in any way, the creature would attack her.

"I think I'll start..." Jessie closed the distance between her and Ash quickly, fast enough that he only had enough time to widen his eyes. In the next second, there was a loud smack of flesh against flesh as Jessie slapped Ash hard enough to make him stumble. He stumbled to the ground, "... now. You don't mind, do you?"

"Ash!"

Delia moved to try and stop Jessie as she went to kick Ash in the side, only to be stopped by the woman's Ekans. She stared at it as it weaved its head in the air, teeth glinting with the poisonous venom that it looked all-too willing to inject into her should she move again. She heard a cry and looked up, seeing Anabel being kicked away from Jessie and then tumble on the floor. Her heart clenched in a painful mixture of fury, sadness, and the desperate need to do something. To do anything.

"Nice try, but I'm not one to fall for such an obvious sneak attack." Jessie sneered at Anabel as she grinded her heeled boot into Ash's abdomen, effectively holding the boy down and causing him the pain she felt that he deserved for ruining her life.

"Leave him alone!" Anabel said as she got back up on her knees. Jessie made a gesture with her arm and Jigglypuff closed the distance between her and purple-headed girl. She used DoubleSlap to knock Anabel back down onto the ground before moving to slap the girl in the face. The first strike caused tears to form in Anabel's eyes from the pain which turned into a cry as Jigglypuff continued to hit her.

Ash tried to speak out, to tell Jessie to stop or maybe call out Anabel's name, but was stopped as Jessie removed her boot and stomped it into his stomach. His breath was forced from his lungs and out his mouth, accompanied by a slight spray of saliva and a bulging of the eyes.

"Stop it! Stop hurting them!" Delia shouted with tears in her eyes, heartbroken. "For God's sake! They're only _children_!"

Jessie turned to the woman, looking just a little bit angry. "I thought we had went over this already. You lot don't get to decide what I, or my Pokémon, do to you. You are very lucky that I haven't had Ekans attack you for your outbursts and continued interference."

Delia gripped the sides of her arm tight, holding back herself from yelling at Jessie again. That wouldn't help, but... the continuing sounds caused by Jessie, the woman's Jigglypuff, the painful exclamations, the "whooshes" of breath being lost, the painful cries, the tears... they broke her heart. They demanded that she do something, anything. Ash and Anabel were only _children_. And Ash was her son, the baby with tufts of black hair and a large appetite—the small boy with an undying love of Pokémon and his family—the young man who had gone out on his Journey despite her wishes to shield him from the evils he found.

Her baby was in pain. Crying out for someone to help him and his friend. _And she was doing nothing._

Without thinking, Delia grabbed at a book weight on the bookshelf beside her and pulled back as the woman's Ekans jumped her. She managed to evade its glittering jaws before she kicked it away with her left foot. It hissed at her and came back again, dodging the small object that Delia had thrown at its head. Ekans jumped at her and she managed to grab its body, just managing to hold its snapping jaws away from her body.

Ekans, seeing that it couldn't get to Delia's torso, moved to attack the arms that were holding it and Delia dropped the horrid thing. It quickly slithered away and got up, preparing to lunge, only for Delia to slam it in the head with a book she had gotten. The blow dazed the creature enough to allow her to get another heavy hits in before Jessie turned towards them, drawn by the sounds of her struggle against Ekans.

"What the hell?!"

Delia reared the book back like it was a club and bashed it into Ekans' skull as if it was a baseball. The force of the blow sent the creature flying backwards, crashing into Jigglypuff who had left Anabel to come at Delia, as Jessie had ordered. Crashing against one another, both fell down in. Delia didn't focus on them, much, as she had dived towards Jessie. The woman caught her punch easily and sneered at the pathetic attempt to hurt her.

A knee was brought up and suddenly both women fell backwards as Jessie stumbled off of Ash's body. The boy, breathing heavily to get fresh air in his lungs, could only watch as Jessie and Delia fell into a messy tangle of limbs. A moment passed as each women took their bearings before Jessie punched Delia in the face. Hard. Delia tumbled backwards from the blow and landed on her side as blood trickled down from her now-broken nose.

Jessie took her time in getting up. She stood above all the fallen people, feeling a mixture of satisfaction and fury. She had thwarted the woman's attempt, but the fact that she had been able to even make an attempt... how was that even possible? Ekans had been poised to strike and should have been able to stop her. Instead, the brown-haired woman had managed to stop Ekans from injuring her, hit it with a book enough to daze it, and then sent it flying towards Jigglypuff like an overgrown baseball.

"You should have stayed where you were, woman." Jessie hissed as she approached the downed woman. She would personally make sure that she didn't get a chance to repeat her miraculous feat again. Then she would get back to taking revenge on the twerp and the twerpette. "Any last words?"

In the following moment, two things happened. The first thing to happen was that Ash got up on his knees and lunged the distance between him and Jessie's legs, desperate to stop her before she hurt his mom. The second was that Delia rolled away from Jessie's stomp, leaving the magenta-haired woman to hit the small bloody smear on the floor. Off-balance because of Ash, Jessie tripped and fell onto the ground as Ash let her go.

"Yeah! Stay away from my mom!"

XXXXXX

(Saffron City—Silph Co. Building—President's Office)

Domino felt much better. After she had released Ekans on those pathetic Silph Co. employees, they had sung like Chatots. She quickly learned the location of the information she required and, while not happy about having to traverse to the other side of the damn building, she had received an unexpected bonus when she walked in the room.

The bonus: a sweating, brown-haired, green-eyed man in a slightly wrinkled, black suit hiding underneath his desk.

"Hello, Mr. President~" Domino purred as she quickly grabbed Silph's arms and pulled him out. She twirled him around at the same time as Ekans popped out of its Poké Ball with a pop of displaced air. Seeing the spinning, flailing man, Ekans quickly slithered over and used its body as makeshift rope to quickly wrap the man up with. He stumbled to the ground, "You and I have some things to talk about~!"

"What do you want?" Silph whispered.

Domino smiled. "I just need you to tell me one itsy bitsy thing and then my men and I will be on our way..." This was really cool. She had thought that she would have to spend a lot of time breaking into the safe where Silph's employees said he kept copies of important projects. Now, having Silph and having him at her mercy, she no longer had to waste her valuable time. "You just have to tell me how to get into your safe so I can look through your blueprints."

"My safe? Why would you...?" Silph wondered. Realization soon dawned on him and he looked up, "You came here for something Silph Co. has been working on!"

Domino rolled her eyes. Really? The man hadn't even figured that out yet? Why else would her superiors order an operation to infiltrate and steal from a company specializing in high-tech gadgets? So that they could invest in the company? Buy flowers? Silph must be stupider than she had given him credit for, which wasn't much as he was still in the building after coming to know it was under attack. Oh well. She wasn't going to complain about something good.

"Duh..."

"But—But Silph Co. specialized in developing gadgets that help Pokémon Trainers! We wouldn't have anything people like you would want!" Silph protested.

Silph Co. was the first company to develop a way to mass-produce Poké Balls where, before, Poké Balls had to be custom made. In addition, Silph Co. had helped fund the growth of medicinal companies which had eventually turned into the developers and suppliers of medicines, like potions, that Trainers used to heal their Pokémon when there wasn't a Pokémon Center nearby. The company had also managed to develop a pair of glasses-like objects, called Silph Scopes that allowed people to see Ghost Pokémon when they didn't want to be seen.

In addition to all of that, the company had even done two major redesigns on the standard Poké Ball when it came to their attention that the standard Poké Balls didn't always have such a great catch-rate. And, while the Great Ball and the Ultra Ball weren't perfect, they had helped a lot of people by making their lives easier—something that Silph and his company had always strived for.

So... why? Why would a group like Team Rocket want to attack them and try to steal one of their inventions?

"You don't understand a thing, do you?" Domino asked with a condescending smile. "Your companies little trinkets have made it  
easier for us to operate." She turned away, putting a finger on her lips. "Hm... maybe, once I get the information of how to get into your safe, I'll tell you how~! You would certainly like that, _Mr. President_..."

"I—"

On Domino's command, Ekans began to constrict and squeeze Silph's body and cut him off before he could speak again. "I'm sorry, Mr. President~" Domino said as she turned back towards Silph, eyes glinting underneath her black Team Rocket beret. "I need you to tell me what I need to know now. If you don't, then I'm going to have to hurt you."

XXXXXX

(Saffron City—Police Headquarters—Conference Room)

Chief Jenny could currently be found ordering her men through a special frequency on all of the walkie-talkies that each officer was equipped with. Around her, people dealt with the phone calls that concerned and panicked citizens were sending in, putting a pin where Team Rocket had just been spotted on the map, or working with the chief to help direct Saffron's police force.

Earlier that day, Team Rocket had attacked the Magnet Train station and made the technicians and mechanics repairing it hostage. The situation had barely resolved itself, with several teams of Saffron's finest storming into the area after throwing in sleeping gas bombs and having able Pokémon using Sing, before calls began coming in. Calls of people reporting an arson, a bombing, a robbery, an attack, vandalism of property, and so much more.

It was too much.

Team Rocket was proving itself to be a worthy foe. They had designed a plan to use their men to distract the police by having the police be spread thin around the city to deal with them. While they knew this, however, none of them could think, or had the time to think, about who Team Rocket was really targeting. If they _were_ targeting someone. It could just be that Team Rocket was trying to bring down Saffron City. But, if that was so, then what was the reason?

Chief Jenny slammed her walkie-talkie down on the long, paper-covered table with a furious expression. "Damn it all!" She swore. "They're now holding Kiyo and his students' hostage at the Dojo!"

The chief's anger was understandable. Not only had she been up coordinating with her people to direct out her officers on the field, a group of her officers had just finished with another hostage situation down at the Pokémon Center. The Pokémon Center could be excused, as it was a place of healing and Nurse Joy nor her Pokémon assistants fought, but Kiyo? Kiyo was a master of karate, a master Trainer, and had an unusually strong body that seemed to be made to take damage.

How in hell had Team Rocket managed to capture him?!

"Should I arrange for the nearest officers to go and offer assistance, chief?"

Chief Jenny sighed, "Yes. Make sure to—" the walkie-talkie crackled, "—tell them to check the building before going in!" She grabbed the walkie-talkie and held it to her ear, "Report! ... I see. Bunker down and wait for reinforcements!"

XXXXXX

(Saffron City—Pokémon Gym—Sabrina's Office)

As soon as Jigglypuff had gotten off of her, Anabel had weakly gotten up from the floor and onto her knees. She attempted to get up and help Ash and Mrs. Ketchum, but was stopped by the feeling of a hand on her leg. She tensed and was about to swat the hand away before she saw that it was her Kadabra, blinking sleepy eyes open.

"H-How...?" Anabel whispered.

_"Trainer_ hurt_."_ Kadabra projected this thought to her as he became more aware, sending her a mental picture of her bruised, swelling, and tearful face. The anger in the Psychic Pokémon's was unmistakable and Anabel felt like she could cry again.

Anabel's voice drifted across the room, catching the attention of the two now-untangled forms of Ekans and Jigglypuff. They turned and saw that Kadabra was helping Anabel get up, gripping onto the spoon she had given him as if it was the one that had hurt her. As the spoon bent, the two Pokémon charged at the two. It was only luck that had Anabel turn towards where Jessie, Ash, and Mrs. Ketchum was and saw the approaching Pokémon.

"K-Kadabra!" Anabel stammered out as she took a step backwards, behind her first Pokémon.

Kadabra whipped out its spoon like it was a sword before it and Kadabra's eyes began to glow with blue, psychic energy. With a wave of the spoon, the energy was unleashed at the two incoming creatures whose distance, two feet away, caused them to crash head-first into it. The energy blasted them backwards like a concussive explosion before, with another flick of his spoon, Kadabra used his powers to take hold of them and hoist them into the air.

Anabel shuddered in relief even as she leaned onto Kadabra to keep herself from falling down. For a moment, she had frozen up and been unable to think of what to do. If it weren't for Kadabra... she didn't want to think about that.

"Use Confusion..." Anabel managed to say after a moment, pushing those dark thoughts away. She needed to be strong, now. She needed to help Ash and Mrs. Ketchum like she had been unable to do before. If she didn't mess it up, that is, like she had messed up trying to get Ash away from Jessie.

There came twin flashes of blue energy before both Ekans and Jigglypuff crumbled. With them already under his control, it had been almost too easy for Kadabra to hit them with Confusion. Kadabra was sure to use it on their heads, so _they _would be knocked out. He could have done it elsewhere, but then it wouldn't have been as fast and his Trainer, his Trainer's friend, and that woman needed his help. All of the others were spread out on the floor, sleeping due to the attack Jigglypuff had used.

_"Kadabara... Help."_

"Thank you, Kadabra." Anabel smiled painfully.

"Yeah! Stay away from my mom!" Ash said from the other side of the office as Mrs. Ketchum rolled away from Jessie's stomp and he let go of the woman's legs, causing the magenta-haired Rocket to trip and then fall onto the floor.

Silence enveloped the room for a couple of moments as all those involved slowly took of what was happening. Anabel noticed some bruises forming on Ash's face and the blood slowly falling from Mrs. Ketchum's nose. Ash helped his mom off the ground before turning around with her, coming to see Anabel's swollen and bruised face, her Kadabra, and Jessie's fallen Pokémon.

Jessie noticed all of this too. As Ash and Anabel began to recall their sleeping Pokémon while Delia watched, she took her chance and lunged towards the brown-haired woman. This was all her fault! If it weren't for that woman, she would've been able to kill the twerp and his little friend. But, _no_! The woman had decided to be a nuisance and had managed the impossible in defeating Ekans before engaging her. It was past time that she took the woman out and reestablished control over this situation.

XXXXXX

(Meanwhile—With Sabrina and Jonathan)

"You don't really seem to need me, Sabrina." Jonathan said towards the woman after Sabrina and her Kadabra had taken down a couple of hidden Rockets, who thought they could ambush them, before the Rockets had a chance to move. It was a little disquieting to see how Sabrina did as such, but Team Rocket had set off a bomb and killed several people in her Gym. She obviously wanted retribution.

Sabrina shook her head, "Actually, I do. You make it appear as if I'm not myself in the eyes of the Rockets and makes them start thinking about what their plans to ambush us are. I have been using that to find out where they were hiding so Kadabra and I could dispose of them."

"... You're using me as bait?" Jonathan deadpanned.

"Would you rather separate from Kadabra and I and then find yourself ambushed without any prior warning?" Sabrina asked as she stopped, catching an incoming Rocket with her telekinesis and then raising the black-clothed man in the air. With but a flick of the wrist, she slammed the Rocket into a nearby wall, sending him into blissful unconsciousness.

So, he wasn't one the rare Rockets that hadn't set up the bomb, hurt any of Sabrina's people, or had vandalized the Gym.

Jonathan sighed, "No. It's just that you could have _told_ me that I was going to serve as bait."

He wasn't so naive as to believe that he could have taken on so many Rockets on his own. His battle with Pierce had proved that, while he could still come up with an effective plan, his skills were rusty. If he had gone out on his own, he and his team could've been surprised during a Rocket ambush and gotten hurt. Or, worse, they could have been taken out before they had a chance to defend themselves.

"If I had told you, then the surprise on your face when they attacked wouldn't have been genuine." Sabrina countered as the pair began walking again. "They would have realized something was wrong and pulled back before either I or Kadabra could have caught them."

"Stop trying to justify it." Jonathan said.

"Very well, Mr. Ketchum." Sabrina replied in a similar dry voice. That said, the two adults stopped talking to each other and focused on looking out for any nearby Rockets. Finally, after turning left at a fork at the end of the hallway, Sabrina startled almost unnoticeably before her eyes narrowed. "Prepare yourself, Mr. Ketchum. We are going to walking into another ambush: six Rockets with a Beedrill, two Weezing, two Arbok, and a Nidorina are waiting for us near at the end of the next hallway."

"Shouldn't you have kept that to yourself so that my reactions would be "genuine"?" Jonathan asked. It didn't really matter if Sabrina told him or not, since he hadn't been doing anything besides accompany her since she had taken care of Pierce, so... he couldn't really complain.

Sabrina turned to him, "Not this time. They are well prepared for anyone that comes towards them, having bunkered down in one of my storage room's when radio contact between them and the Rockets of the first floor were cut off." A brief pause. "Do you think you could recreate that improvised move you used earlier, Mr. Ketchum?"

It was kind of scary how Sabrina knew that about the Rockets. Still, what was he to expect? She was one of the most powerful human psychics in the country so, of course, she would be able to do this. Sabrina could probably do a lot more than that, too, but had probably decided to allow him to help her. Jonathan was pointedly not thinking about the fact that Sabrina was reading his mind, too. If he did, he would be really creeped out and might lose focus.

He could always be creeped out later, when all of this was over.

XXXXXX

(Saffron City—Outside of Kiyo's Pokémon Dojo)

When Chief Jenny had sent him to help assist with the hostage situation at Kiyo's Dojo, he hadn't expected what he had found. Instead of the standard Team Rocket Grunts outfitted with Poison and Dark-Type Pokémon, he and his fellow officers had found that the Rockets there were psychics. His first thought had been _'No wonder Kiyo and his students' were captured...' _while his second was about the difficulty he and his fellow officers would soon be undertaking.

Psychics were not a bunch to be messed around with unless prepared to deal with them. Unlike regular humans, their bodies possessed the ability to channel and direct mental energy that was very similar to the mental energy that Psychic-Type Pokémon used. Psychics could control this energy by undergoing a rigorous mental training and, once controlled, could produce a wide variety of supernatural abilities.

To deal with a psychic, one first needed to know of how powerful that individual psychic was. From there, they could hopefully develop a strategy that would lead to the defeat and capture of the psychic. Of course, since there were more than one psychic hear, making a plan to defeat them would be difficult.

Timothy took out his walkie-talkie, "Officer Greenly reporting in with an update. The Rockets at Kiyo's Dojo are all psychics: seven in total. My Zubat has scouted around and saw that the psychics are keeping Kiyo, his students, and their Pokémon suspended in the middle of the room, in the air. As of now, the psychics are spread about the Dojo, facing the door, to bombard whoever comes in it."

Officer Greenly heard Chief Jenny swear before telling him and his fellow officers to wait until they could come up with a plan before doing anything. After confirming her orders, she hung up and he moved to tell his officers he had called the chief before going back into his former spot. It gave him a good view of the building and, from here, the psychics within the room couldn't see what he was doing. It probably didn't matter much, if some of them were actively using their mind reading abilities to scan for other humans and Pokémon, but... meh.

"Officer Greenly. I want you to listen to me very closely." Chief Jenny's voice called from his walkie-talkie and Officer Greenly nodded. "With the situation as it is, you and your fellow officers probably only have one shot before those psychics attack. The plan we were able to come up with is the best that we have been able to come up with, knowing all of the resources in your area."

Three minutes later, Officer Greenly clipped his walkie-talkie back onto his belt and moved over to relay the plan to his fellow officers. It wasn't foolproof, as no plan ever was, but it was the best that the chief and the people around her had been able to come up with based on the information he had given them.

"Johnson—we'll be using your Arcanine and its ExtremeSpeed to break the door in. From there, its Roar should scare the psychics long enough for them to lose their holds on Kiyo and the others." Officer Greenly said before turning to another couple of officers. "Adams, Jacobs, Quil—you three and your Pokémon will come in from the windows while Arcanine is distracting the psychics; if you see an opportunity to knock one of them down, do so."

"What about you, Greenly?" Officer Quil asked.

Officer Greenly smiled, grimly. "I'll be riding on Jonathan's Arcanine's back, Quil. If all goes well, then I'll release my own Pokémon into the room to help you, Adams, and Jabcobs deal with the psychics. If not... well, I'll be giving you guys time to help free Kiyo and his students'."

"But, that's—!" Officer Jabocs began to say.

"—Right." Officer Adams interrupted with a nod to Officer Greenly before he turned towards his fellow officers. "You heard Officer Greenly! This plan came from the chief herself! So stop bickering like children and actually show why you were made into officers in the first place!" A pause, "Do you hear me?!"

The two officers' semi-forgotten training from their time in Kanto's national army, before they had been honorably discharged and became police officers, came into effect. Both of their backs automatically straightened out, their heels clicked together, and they barely resisted the urge to salute to Officer Adama. "Yes, sir!"

"Let's move, then!"

XXXXXX

(Saffron City—Pokémon Gym—Sabrina's Office)

"Kadabra, use Psychic."

Jessie all-but snarled as she felt her body suddenly stop in its lunge towards Delia as a blue glow enveloped it. It had been a long shot from the start, attacking the brown-haired woman without either Ekans or Jigglypuff there to back her up, but her pride had gotten the better of her. She had thought that she could quickly get rid of Delia and move on to the kids, using her Team Rocket training to deal with the twerpette's Kadabra.

Maybe in a parallel reality, that could have happened, but not in this one.

Delia looked with widened eyes at the hovering, blue-cloaked visage of Jessie that was only a foot away from her body. If Anabel hadn't spotted Jessie moving and ordered Kadabra to act... she would've never even seen it coming. Shuddering, she took a step backwards and away from Jessie as her son glared at the woman, thinking she had done something to his mom to make her shudder.

"Please don't instigate her anymore, honey." Delia managed to say, stopping Ash before he could talk and/or threaten Jessie again. "Anabel's Kadabra may have her so that she can't hurt us anymore, but I don't want to give her anymore reason to come after us. Let's just go."

"But, mom—" Ash began.

"I don't want to stay in this room and we need to find some supplies to help you and Anabel. Please, honey?" Delia interrupted with a pleading look. She would've been more firm with him but, honestly, she was too tired for that and they had all just been through a traumatic experience. "Can't we just go?"

Ash glanced back at Jessie, his mom, and then where Anabel was standing next to her Kadabra with the Egg Case in her hand. Finally, he turned back to his mom and nodded. Delia smiled at him before the group, bar the still-floating Jessie, left the office. Kadabra's Psychic would eventually fade and release Jessie but, until then, she would be stuck there while they moved to somewhere safe.

As Ash, Anabel, and Delia left Sabrina's office, none of them noticed how the egg within the Egg Case began to slowly rock back and forth on its cushion. Nor did they notice the miniscule crack that began to form around the tip of the egg. The one person that did see all of this didn't see much importance of a stupid Pokémon Egg beginning to hatch and was more focused on figuring out how she would get out of this situation. And planning vengeance on the three that had just left.

* * *

Ash's Pokémon Team:

Eevee (Female): Level 25.

Attacks: Tackle (Normal), Sand Attack (Normal), Scratch (Normal), Tail-Whip (Normal), Helping Hand (Normal), Growl (Normal), Bite (Dark), Quick Attack (Normal), Covet (Normal), and Take Down (Normal).

Pidgeotto (Male): Level 20.

Attacks: Sand Attack (Ground), Tackle (Normal), Gust (Flying), Peck (Flying), and Whirlwind (Flying).

Rattata (Male): Level 21.

Attacks: Bite (Dark), Tackle (Normal), Quick Attack (Normal), Hyper Fang (Normal), Scratch (Normal), Pursuit (Dark), Quick Swim (Normal), and Sucker Punch (Dark).

Beedrill (Male): Level 20.

Attacks: String-Shot (Bug), Poison-Sting (Poison), Bug-Bite (Bug), Fury Attack (Normal), Tw needle (Bug), and Rage (Normal).

Clefairy (Female): Level 17.

Attacks: Sing (Normal), Pound (Normal), Metronome (Normal), DoubleSlap (Normal), Defense Curl (Normal), Follow Me (Normal), and Bestow (Normal).

Paras (Male): Level 19.

Attacks: PoisonPowder (Poison), Stun Spore (Grass), Sleep Powder (Grass), Spore (Grass), Leech Life (Bug), and Fury Cutter (Bug).

* * *

Anabel's Pokémon Team:

Kadabra (Male): Level 27.

Attacks: Teleport (Psychic), Psyshock (Psychic), Confusion (Psychic), Psychic (Psychic), Disable (Normal), Miracle Eye (Psychic), and Ally Switch (Psychic).

Butterfree (Female): Level 20.

Attacks: Confusion (Psychic), Poisonpowder (Poison), Stun Spore (Grass), Harden (Bug), Sleep Powder (Grass), String Shot (Bug), Gust (Flying), and Supersonic (Normal).

* * *

Sabrina's Pokémon Team:

Kadabra (Female): Level 40.

Attacks: Psychic (Psychic), Teleport (Psychic), Psyshock (Psychic), Confusion (Psychic), Kinesis (Psychic), Disable (Normal), Miracle Eye (Psychic), Ally Switch (Psychic), Psybeam (Psychic), Reflect (Psychic), Telekinesis (Psychic), Recover (Normal), Psycho Cut (Psychic), and Future Sight (Psychic).

* * *

Jonathan's Pokémon Team:

Mandibuzz (Female): Level 35.

Attacks: Fly (Flying), Gust (Flying), Leer (Normal), Fury Attack (Normal), Pluck (Flying), Nasty Plot (Dark), Flatter (Dark), Faint Attack (Dark), Punishment (Dark), and Defog (Flying).

Sigilyph: (Male): Level 19.

Attacks: Gust (Flying), Miracle Eye (Psychic), Hypnosis (Psychic), Psywave (Psychic), Tailwind (Flying), Whirlwind (Normal), Psybeam (Psychic).

Yamask (Female): Level 20.

Attacks: Astonish (Ghost), Protect (Normal), Disable (Normal), Haze (Ice), Night Shade (Ghost), Hex (Ghost), and Will-O-Wisp (Fire).

* * *

Jessie's Pokémon Team:

Jigglypuff (Female): Level 32.

Attacks: Sing (Normal), Defense Curl (Normal), Pound (Normal), Disable (Normal), Rollout (Rock), DoubleSlap (Normal), Rest (Psychic), Body Slam (Normal), and Gyro Ball (Steel).

Ekans (Male): Level 35.

Attacks: Wrap (Normal), Leer (Normal), Poison Sting (Poison), Bite (Dark), Glare (Normal), Toxic (Poison), Screech (Normal), Acid (Poison), Stockpile (Normal), Swallow (Normal), Spit Up (Normal), Acid Spray (Poison), and Mud Bomb (Ground).

* * *

**A/N: Author's Note: **Well, that's the end of the second out of the third chapter of the "Battle of Saffron City" mini-arc. The next chapter will finish the fighting and then start to deal with the aftermath of such having an organization such as Team Rocket attack a city. So, highlights from this chapter? Jessie taking out her revenge, Domino meeting Silph, Chief Jenny and her officers dealing with the crisis, Jonathan realizing he was just acting like bait for Sabrina and her Kadabra, and Jessie being thwarted.

Now, before I end this, I want to tell you that you guys are free to express your opinions in your reviews. BUT stating your opinion on what's happening in the chapter does not involve swearing, insulting the story, or insulting me directly. If I find such flames as I have been, I will delete your review and ban you if you continue to post flames. Sorry for being harsh, but I'm autistic and I've been insulted enough in my life.

With that said, if any of you guys have concerns about the story or need some clarification, please PM or review me or this story and I will send a PM back to answer your concerns or answer them during an upcoming chapter of this story.

See you next time!

P.S.: What do you guys think of the newest cover that I put together? The old cover didn't have that good of lighting and sections of it were cut off, so I made a new one. And, unlike the last one, I will be able of putting those Pokémon currently in Ash's team on it~!


	27. Chapter 27:

Disclaimer: I do not, nor have I ever, owned anything related to Nintendo's _Pokémon_ franchise.

* * *

Legend:

"A human or a Pokémon is talking."

'_A human or a Pokémon is thinking.'_

"**A machine is being used."**

* * *

Chapter 27:

* * *

(Saffron City—Pokémon Gym—Storage Room)

After they had left Jessie behind in Sabrina's office, Delia led the group in the search for a storage room. They checked all of the rooms in the hallway they were in and found two small bedrooms, a small bathroom, and a cleaning closet. The storage closet had a few bandages but nothing else which forced Delia to lead the group down another hallway.

Luckily, they weren't ambushed or attacked by Team Rocket and quickly found a storage room. On one side of the room were shiny metal racks that held a variety of Potion, Super Potion, Antidote, and supplemental Pokémon medicine. The other side of the room held a rack full of towels, blankets, pillows, a couple of first aid kits, flashlights, light bulbs, and some cleaning supplies. In the middle of the room were a couple of taped boxes, which proved firm enough to serve as seats.

Once Delia knew that the boxes were okay to sit on, she told Ash and Anabel to sit down on them while she moved towards the first-aid kits. Kadabra took up a stance near the door into the room, eyes glowing with psychic power as he scanned for any nearby people. If there were, Kadabra would alert the others and Delia would decide on their course of action would be.

First-aid kit in hand, Delia returned to the two pre-teen Pokémon Trainers and began to work. She gave Anabel a couple of painkiller tablets and, after having Ash turn away, wrapped some bandages around Anabel's chest when Anabel told her that Jessie's Jigglypuff had been standing on there and had made it hard to breath. It may have been a little extreme to do, but Delia wasn't going to be taking any chances. When she was finished, she gave Anabel a pillow and blanket and told her to rest before she moved on to her son.

Ash got his stomach and chest wrapped with bandages after making sure that Jessie's heels hadn't pierced his skin. Delia had then moved on and gave him some painkillers, some tissue to deal with his bloody nose, and then gave him a pillow and blanket of his own. Her own bloody nose had been dealt with by sticking some ripped tissue to stop the flow of blood and, unlike the children, she didn't need any painkillers. So, she would be on watch with Kadabra while they attempted to rest.

Something cracked.

Delia almost fell from her "seat", but managed to hold on. She started looking around for what could have caused the sound as Ash and Anabel sat up and began to look themselves. Whatever it was that made the sound hadn't seemed to alarm Kadabra, but... one could never be too careful.

It was Anabel who spotted it first, "It's Ash's Pokémon Egg!"

Delia and Ash quickly turned to where they had put the Egg Case on another box. Anabel was right. Inside the Egg Case, the Pokémon Egg was slowly rocking back and forth on its cushion. The cracking sound had come from the crack the Pokémon within the egg had caused.

"It's hatching!" Ash said excitedly, throwing off the blanket and getting up to quickly walk over to the Egg Case and his Pokémon Egg. Why shouldn't he be a bit excited? For a while now, he and everyone else had been wondering if the Pokémon inside the egg was actually an alien. What Sabrina had told them of what Professor Oak's friend had said, he knew it was probably an alien species, like Staryu and Starmie, but... "I wonder what it will be...?"

Delia smiled, "We'll find out soon, honey. But, first, we need to get it out of that Egg Case and get its future Poké Ball out."

"Right." Ash nodded seriously, almost slapping himself for forgetting.

Ash then removed the shrunken Poké Ball from the top of the Egg Case and then removed the top as Anabel and Delia watched. This was one of the times where they could only watch and feel happy, despite what had already happened today, about what was happening. He was the one that had discovered the egg on Mt. Moon and carried it this far. He was the one to buy all of those books on caring for and raising Baby Pokémon, even though he had only started to read them recently. What he had learned from those books were shown in how he had disciplined Eevee for her bad behavior and how he had begun to treat his other Pokémon.

Instead of just being tools for him to use, anyone who had spent enough time with Ash could see how Ash's Pokémon had become a family all on its own. Pidgeotto and Beedrill were the tough older brothers, Rattata the brash little brother, Paras the quiet but smart little brother, Clefairy the shy little sister, and Eevee the excited older sister. Ash served as the father of the group who cared for them all and pushed them to their limits, constantly striving to make them tougher to meet challenges that they would face in the future.

Whatever that Pokémon inside the egg was, alien or not, it already had a place waiting for it. Like many other Trainers in similar situations, Ash would remember it as his first Pokémon he raised from birth as opposed to catching it when it was old enough to fight and raising it from then on.

While his mom and Anabel were thinking about how much this situation meant, Ash was carefully holding onto the Pokémon Egg as carefully as he could. It a little bit weird, but nice.

The egg's shell radiated a constant, pleasant warmth and, while holding it was a little bit awkward, he could feel every time the egg moved. He could feel as the Pokémon inside of it tried to wriggle and bat its way out of the egg and cause small cracks to form on the shell as a result. For some reason, his heart felt warm, his stomach full of Butterfrees, his arms weak, and his cheeks hurt from the wide smile he was sporting.

Within a few moments, the cracks connected into a long, branched circle around the top of the egg before, with a strong push, the Pokémon within knocked it off. Looking down, Ash found himself forgetting everything he had been thinking about before—practicing at the Gym, talking with Sabrina, Team Rocket's attack, Jessie's attack, the pain—_everything_. The reason...? Oh, that was simple. He was too busy staring in awe at the baby Pokémon as it stared up at him.

The baby looked like a miniature, infant-sized version of the Pokémon that Ash had seen on Mt. Moon. Like that Pokémon, the baby's skin was red-orange, it had a blue-green face, its eyes were white inside black eye-sockets, its arms looked like cords, and it had to legs that ended in a point. The only difference was that, unlike that other Pokémon, it had a pink stripe on its face and the crystal in its chest was pink, as opposed to the purple the other Pokémon had.

"Hello..." Ash whispered to the small Pokémon in his arms. "My name is Ash Ketchum."

XXXXXX

(Meanwhile—Kiyo's Pokémon Dojo)

It was only a few seconds before an Arcanine broke and then raced through the front doors of the dojo when one psychic turned to another, opening his mouth to warn his fellows. He never got a chance as the Arcanine's rider—dressed in a Saffron policemen's uniform—patted Arcanine's back and caused the creature to unleash two consecutive Ember towards the psychics. Unfortunately, the psychics were able to use their telekinesis to grab hold of the attacks and collected them into two flaming orbs before moving to send it back at the police officer.

That's when three more officers burst in through the windows. Amidst the shards of falling, broken glass their Pokémon unleashed a flurry of Fire and Normal-Type moves. The surprise allowed them to hit a psychic before she could put up a barrier to protect herself and startle another psychic, so one officer went after him while the other two went after two other psychics.

The flaming orbs were launched back at the first officer on the Arcanine, who charged forward before it used Fire Spin to dispel the flames with its own. It then dodged to then side as the three psychics battling it unleashed a concussive wave of mental energy that knocked Arcanine and its rider backwards. Before they could hit the floor, one of the psychics used his telekinesis to grab hold of them both and hoisted them up into the air.

With a flick of his hands, the psychic sent the two of them flying towards where Officer Adams was quickly overwhelming a black-haired psychic with his Sandslash. Officer Greenly shouted a warning to him just in time, so Officer Jacobs and his Sandslash quickly jumped to the side. It proved ineffective as the psychic they were after unleashed another wave of concussive mental energy at them, sending them flying into the air.

Just in time for Officer Adams to release a Golbat in the direction of "his" psychic, "Use Supersonic, Golbat!"

"NO!"

The psychic that Officer Adams had chosen to go after was the one that was currently holding Kiyo, his students, and their Pokémon up in the air. If that Supersonic hit her, then she could become confused and lose control over her abilities and accidentally let their captives go. And if that happened, then their enemies would outnumber them and take away their advantage. They would be overwhelmed, captured, and, worst of all, they would fail their mission.

Unfortunately, there was no time for anyone to do anything to stop Golbat's Supersonic. The rings of energy hit the psychic in the face and knocked her back. Above, the blue glow surrounding the psychics' captives flickered but held strong. The other psychics, that weren't being attacked by the two non-captive officers, breathed a sigh of relief... which they sucked in sharply when the blue glow faded completely.

Kiyo, his students, and their Pokémon dropped to the ground. And then quickly rushed in to join the battle against their former captors.

XXXXXX

(Saffron City—Silph Co. Building—President's Office)

As soon as Mr. Silph's safe opened, Domino allowed a satisfied smirk to appear on her face. Sitting in the safe were a neat pile of marked folders, two piles of marked CDs, a few small-scale replicas of inventions that Silph Co. had made, and a few miscellaneous things. It was really helpful that it was so organized as that allowed her to quickly snatch up the files and the CD marked "Master Ball". She then took everything else, besides the replicas, that was in the safe from the safe and stuffed it all into her hip-pouch.

Who knew how useful those files could be to Team Rocket.

Finished, Domino turned around and smiled at Silph. "Thank you for you cooperation, Mr. President~! I'm sure that you'll be very satisfied with how we use your technology."

Silph was silent. While she was putting in the combination she had gotten out of him, Domino had told him what some organizations, such as Team Rocket, were using his inventions for. It disgusted him to think that his technology was being used and manipulated to commit things he didn't want to even _think_ about. So, he remained silent.

"Don't be that way, Mr. President!" Domino said with a childish pout. "You did want to know about what we could use your inventions for, after all."

Silph didn't respond. In reality, perhaps he had been a bit too shocked that a group like Team Rocket would want his company's technology. There were other groups and companies that had wanted to steal the knowledge of how he mass-produced Poké Balls, how to make Great Balls and Ultra Balls, or know how to make the special resin they used that allowed his Silph Scopes to work. It was standard corporate espionage which, if one was to tone down Team Rocket's actions, this whole thing was about.

Domino frowned, "Fine! If you want to be that way, Mr. President, then I'm afraid this game is over. Ekans, Poison Sting." Ekans obliged by clamping his mouth around Silph's throat, startling the man and making him start to squirm against the body that held him. "Now, now... my Ekans won't kill you, Mr. President. Its poison is unusually weak for its species, but I've found that I can use it as a sedative."

Silph blacked out.

XXXXXX

(Saffron City—Pokémon Gym—With Sabrina and Jonathan)

They were finally done.

An hour after Jonathan had left with Sabrina to help her clear out the remaining Rockets in the Gym and they were finally done. It had been exhausting, going from room-to-room and dealing with the Rockets hiding in them. And it had only gotten tougher when Sabrina had started to ask him to help out more. Seeing the fallen was hard both emotionally as well as mentally, no matter who that person had been before death.

Jonathan was sitting down on the floor, back against the hallway's white wall as he rested. Sabrina stood above, the perfect picture of calm, despite what she had done and seen today. What she had just ordered her Kadabra to do before it had left.

Someone had to take care of the bodies.

Jonathan didn't want to go back. He didn't want to see the fallen, black-clothed bodies of the Rockets that he and Sabrina had dealt with. He didn't want to see the broken furniture, the ruined room where Sabrina had kept Pokémon Eggs, the scorched walls and floors, the rubble, the smells... He didn't want to have to deal with anything that had happened today.

"Go to your family."

Jonathan's head snapped up towards at Sabrina's voice and found that, instead of looking at him, Sabrina was staring at the wall across from her. There was a certain shakiness in the renowned psychic's voice and the way she was staring at the wall, as opposed to looking at him, was very telling. How could he have been so stupid as to not notice? Sabrina wasn't calm or undisturbed at what had happened... she had put her poker face on. It was slowly falling away, revealing the hurting woman hiding underneath it.

"Sabrina—" Jonathan said, getting up.

Sabrina shook her head and avoided the hand that had tried to land on her shoulder, "No, Mr. Ketchum. I will be fine. I just need some time to... gather... myself." She pointed down the hallway, from whence they had come. "You should go to your family, Mr. Ketchum. They need you and you need them."

"What are you talking about?" Jonathan asked.

Sabrina didn't answer. And that spoke volumes.

Jonathan turned around and began to run down the hallway. Sabrina had implied that something was wrong with his family. Something bad. So, he ran. He ran until he turned around a corner and he couldn't see Sabrina's sad face anymore. He ran past Kadabra and the bodies it was teleporting away. He ran until his legs hurt and his lungs ached, until he had thrown open the door to Sabrina's office. It was empty and trashed, as if someone had battled inside of it.

Heart clenching, Jonathan quickly and ran from the ruined room. He needed to find his family. He _had_ to find his family. He just had to. Because, if he had left them alone and they had gotten hurt... he didn't know what he would do. He desperately hoped he wasn't about to figure out what he would do, either.

XXXXXX

(Saffron City—Police Headquarters)

Chief Jenny all-but collapsed into the seat behind her desk. Within the last hour, her police force had been dealing with the last remnants of Team Rocket's attack on the city. An hour ago, her officers had reported that fireworks had gone off in the sky, an apparent signal for all Team Rocket members. Most of the Rockets had retreated but some of the stupider or more bloodthirsty ones had stayed back to cause more damage, inadvertently preventing the police from following their retreating comrades.

Despite the retreat and decrease of Rockets present throughout the city, the last hour had been the hardest out of the entire attack. Frankly, Chief Jenny wanted to forget what had happened. She wanted to forget about all of the men and women she had lost, all of the civilians that had died, all of the crimes that had happened—both reported and not—, the property damage, and all of those tough choices she had to make. It was just too much.

Still, the chief did have to think about it. The government was going to start butting in and demanding answers. The most-populated city in the country, bar the capitol, had been attacked by a terrorist organization. There would be repercussions for all those involved and, for the first time in her career, the chief couldn't see what was going to happen.

The chief's office door slid open, "Chief?" Jeremiah Stones asked as he poked his head into the room. "We've just gotten word from Kiyo's Pokémon Dojo."

Chief Jenny almost snapped at the man to just leave her alone. Couldn't he see that she didn't want to hear anymore? But, no. The chief simply raised her head and nodded at the man, beckoning for him to continue and tell her the news. As the chief, she had to know about the fate of the people so that she could make arrangements If need be.

"Officer Adams had reported in to say that the situation is under control. He says that all of the Team Rocket psychics have been subdued and that the hostage situation is over." He paused, unsure of himself now that it came to the hard part. "Ma'am... we lost Officer Quil, Officer Greenly, and five of Kiyo's students."

The chief was silent for a moment, "Very well. Send the first available team we have to Kiyo's Dojo and have them assist Officer Adams and Officer Jacobs. When we have identified the bodies, I will personally deal with informing their families of their loss. You may go, Stone." The man stood there for a moment, unsure. Chief Jenny frowned, "I said that you can _go_, Stones."

Stones quickly turned tail and left the room. Now alone, the chief sighed and allowed her head to fall until it hit the top of her desk. How many more deaths would she hear about today? How many more trusted, dependable men would be reported to have fallen to Team Rocket? How many more families would soon be torn apart by grief over the loss of someone who had died?

How much more was she supposed to take?

XXXXXX

(Saffron City—Pokémon Gym—Storage Room)

It had been some time since Ash's newest Pokémon had hatched, though none of the people or Pokémon within the room were sure about how long it had been. Still, it didn't really matter much. The humans had been distracted by the arrival of the Baby Pokémon and helping Ash with it. Even though Ash had read the books on how to care for Baby Pokémon, he was in no means _close_ to being an expert.

This could be seen in the way, only a couple minutes after the Baby Pokémon had hatched, it started making hungry, keening sounds. Ash hadn't known what was wrong at all and turned to the females in the room as the Baby Pokémon continued to fuss. His mom had been able to tell that the small creature was hungry and had Ash take out some Poké Chow and mash it in a small dish alongside some water while she held his Pokémon. The result was only vaguely similar to the food that Baby Pokémon were supposed to eat, but it was the best they could do.

When Ash had gotten the food ready, Delia had handed his Pokémon back to him and taught him the correct way of holding it. While he had been holding the baby okay so far, he needed to know the correct way of holding and properly supporting it while he fed it. It was a bit hard to find where the baby's mouth was supposed to be until, with the edge of the mush-filled cup against of face, a small rip opened up to reveal an infant-like mouth.

The surprise of it had worn off quickly which left Ash to feeding the baby and switching out to Delia when his arms got tired and the baby was still eating. The way she held the baby, talked to it as the baby ate, it stirred the strings of Ash's heart. If that was even a fraction of how his mom held him, how she looked at him when he was a baby... then he was very, very lucky to have her as his mom. Extremely lucky.

Soon after Ash had that realization, his newest Pokémon finished feeding, mouth closing and fading from view as it slowly closed its eyes. Delia handed it over to Ash before it could fully fall asleep and then watched her son startle as it snuggled into his arms, seeking warmth.

At the moment, Ash and Anabel could be found snuggled under the blanket that Delia had given them earlier. Ash's Baby Pokémon was sleeping on the cushion from its Egg Case next to Ash with one of the boy's arms leaving the warmth of the blanket to wrap around the cushion. Delia sat on a nearby box and watched the children sleep while Anabel's Kadabra continued to stand guard by the door.

_'What a day...'_ Delia thought. So much had happened today. Ms. Sabrina had revealed that one of Professor Oak's friends may know about Ash's egg, Team Rocket attacked, one of the two Rockets that Ash and Anabel had fought in the past had found them, Ash and his friend had gotten hurt, she had fought an Ekans, they escaped, and Ash's egg had finally hatched. The brown-haired woman sighed, _'If only Team Rocket hadn't attacked. We would be in our rooms in the Pokémon Center instead and... Jonathan would be here.'_

Jonathan...

Delia had no idea of what had happened to her husband since he had left to go help Sabrina deal with the Rockets. While the day's events had helped her push her worries and concern over her husband aside so she could focus on the matter at hand, she was worried about him. How was he doing? Was he safe? Was he hurt? Where was he? Was he looking for them? Was in the condition to be able to look for them?

What if Jonathan was—

Kadabra touched her on the arm, an urgent look on its face. "Kadabra." It pointed its spoon towards the door, then repeated the action when it seemed like Delia didn't understand what it was trying to say. "Kadabra Abra Kada-kada bra Kadabra."

"Capture whoever comes in that door with a Psychic. If it is an enemy, knock it back into the wall." Delia said.

Kadabra nodded and readied its spoon, stepping forward so that it would be the first thing that the person coming towards them would see if they opened the door. The peaceful atmosphere that had enveloped the room was quickly replaced with one of tension, Delia tightening her fingers around the hem of her pink sweater.

There came the sound of frantic footsteps in-between pauses in which the sound of doors being opened could be heard. Finally, a shadow appeared under the door before the door handle clicked opened. It barely opened before Kadabra had waved its spoon at the door, catching the person that had opened the door with its Psychic. The person's glowing blue body was lifted into the air at the same time as he made a startled sound, matching the one that had escaped from Delia's throat.

"Jonathan?!"

Despite his current predicament, Jonathan's face became less panicked and more relieved looking. A heavy weight looked to have been lifted off of his shoulders. "Delia..."

"Kadabra, put him down!" Delia hurriedly ordered the Psychic Pokémon. Kadabra looked at her for a moment, saw her expression, and nodded. A moment later and the glow faded from around Jonathan's body and Jonathan was eased back onto the ground. He was almost knocked over by his tearful wife as she lunged at him, arms wrapping around him to form a tight hug. "Jonathan..."

"It's alright, Delia. I'm here." Jonathan said as he patted his wife on her back, holding back tears. She was safe. His wife was _safe_. There, behind two boxes, lay two form wrapped in blankets with their heads tucked under bright white pillows. The kids were safe, too. He looked down at her as the first tear slipped from his eyes, "I'm okay. We're okay. It's okay... It'll be fine, now."

* * *

Ash's Pokémon Team:

Eevee (Female): Level 25.

Attacks: Tackle (Normal), Sand Attack (Normal), Scratch (Normal), Tail-Whip (Normal), Helping Hand (Normal), Growl (Normal), Bite (Dark), Quick Attack (Normal), Covet (Normal), and Take Down (Normal).

Pidgeotto (Male): Level 20.

Attacks: Sand Attack (Ground), Tackle (Normal), Gust (Flying), Peck (Flying), and Whirlwind (Flying).

Rattata (Male): Level 21.

Attacks: Bite (Dark), Tackle (Normal), Quick Attack (Normal), Hyper Fang (Normal), Scratch (Normal), Pursuit (Dark), Quick Swim (Normal), and Sucker Punch (Dark).

Beedrill (Male): Level 20.

Attacks: String-Shot (Bug), Poison-Sting (Poison), Bug-Bite (Bug), Fury Attack (Normal), Tw needle (Bug), and Rage (Normal).

Clefairy (Female): Level 17.

Attacks: Sing (Normal), Pound (Normal), Metronome (Normal), DoubleSlap (Normal), Defense Curl (Normal), Follow Me (Normal), and Bestow (Normal).

Paras (Male): Level 19.

Attacks: PoisonPowder (Poison), Stun Spore (Grass), Sleep Powder (Grass), Spore (Grass), Leech Life (Bug), and Fury Cutter (Bug).

* * *

Anabel's Pokémon Team:

Kadabra (Male): Level 27.

Attacks: Teleport (Psychic), Psyshock (Psychic), Confusion (Psychic), Psychic (Psychic), Disable (Normal), Miracle Eye (Psychic), and Ally Switch (Psychic).

Butterfree (Female): Level 20.

Attacks: Confusion (Psychic), Poisonpowder (Poison), Stun Spore (Grass), Harden (Bug), Sleep Powder (Grass), String Shot (Bug), Gust (Flying), and Supersonic (Normal).

* * *

**A/N: Author's Note**: Well, that's the end of this chapter and, furthermore, the final battle-ish chapter of the "Battle of Saffron City" arc. The next chapter will be its resolution: how Saffron City and Kanto are going to deal with what Team Rocket did to the city, how Team Rocket stole valuable information from Silph Co., city and government officials talking about new security and preventive measures, and some people talking about and examining Ash's newest Pokémon.

... Do I smell a trip to the Hoenn region soon? And, if I did, would you readers like for that to happen? It would be the first time that Ash and Anabel left Kanto, since they can't be separated yet, and it would allow me to show you guys some of the reasons why I believe that, if Ash went to another country, he would start over with a new team.


	28. Chapter 28:

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

* * *

Legend:

"A human or a Pokémon is talking."  
'_A human or a Pokémon is thinking.'  
_"**A machine is being used."  
**"A technique/ability."

* * *

Chapter 28:

* * *

It had been two days after the so-called "Battle for Saffron City" that reconstruction efforts began to rebuild everything that Team Rocket had destroyed. As much of Saffron City's warehouses and storage areas had been scorched by Team Rocket, it was the neighboring cities and towns that sent needed supplies and people to help. The help was much appreciated by the citizens of Saffron City and lightened the somber atmosphere that had descended over the city.

As the first newspaper articles were printed out and word of the attack spread, people began to arrive at Saffron. President William Weston arrived at the city with a small number of his special guard, a couple of government officials, and troops from Kanto's National Army. The President met with the mayor of the city and several members of the city's council to discuss what would happen now and what they would do to prevent another attack.

Troops would be stepping in to temporarily help Saffron City's police force until its decimated numbers could be replaced and trained. In addition, while the police force recovered the troops would be taking over the patrols throughout the city. The presence of the troops would, President Weston had said, try to ease the feelings of insecurity that had awoken within the people after Team Rocket's attack.

While implementing the troops, President Weston also told the mayor that several more groups would be arriving to help the city get back on its feet. That included the reconstruction of the city, helping restock the newly-built warehouses, and generally make sure that Saffron City had anything it would need in the future. And, considering that Saffron City was a major tourist attraction/shopping city, there was a lot of stuff that would benefit from such help.

To prevent such actions in the future, President Weston encouraged a policy of increased security and vigilance. He talked about how security officers could be trained to detect nervous or suspicious-looking people and question them before he talked about bringing in new advances in technology to help out.

In addition, President Weston had also officially listed Team Rocket as a terrorist organization and would issue a national statement about penalties for being a part of or joining the organization: increased time in prison, increased fines, etc. He would also allocate a specific number of troops from the army set up patrols on the country's routes and around the country's many cities.

President Weston closed out the meeting by saying that the government of Kanto would not stand for terrorist activities and would do everything they could to bring down Team Rocket. It wasn't anything new but the mayor and city officials understood just how powerful Team Rocket had become by sitting in the shadows. Taking such a huge organization down would take time and a lot of effort. So they simply nodded to President Weston and then set out to start the processes that would put the president's plans for the city into action.

XXXXXX

(Saffron City—Administration Building—City Recorder's Office)

"Is that really...?" Harold Dems asked.

Was even such a thing possible anymore? Harold knew that humankind had yet to unravel every mystery in the world, but he had thought that all of the Pokémon in the world had been discovered already. Well, if he was to believe the young man in front of him, then that belief would still be true, but... How could someone so young have discovered it when countless others had been searching the world for a chance to stumble upon a new Pokémon?

"If you're worrying about the paperwork that my dad said we would need, Nurse Joy already filled it out." Ash Ketchum from across Mr. Dems' desk. Eevee, sitting on the right arm-rest, blinked at Mr. Dems while his Baby Pokémon made a sound until Ash moved his arms to better support her. "... Mr. Dems?"

Mr. Dems startled before managing to force himself into focusing: he had a job to do. "So, you have the papers that Nurse Joy was supposed to fill out Mr. Ketchum?" Ash nodded slowly and offered the requested papers which Mr. Dems took before glancing through them. "... Everything seems to be in order, then... What are you going to call her?"

That was something that Ash had been thinking about after his mom had asked him about it once they had booked a room in a nearby hotel a couple of days ago. He hadn't really thought, before then, what he would call his Pokémon, believing that she would tell them its name like all other Pokémon did when they spoke.

Sadly, that wasn't the case. His Pokémon was more human-like than most and, instead of saying her name, she talked in gurgles and other noises that one would expect from a human baby. So the burden of naming her fell unto Ash.

Ash had thought about it for a while and had eventually decided on naming his Pokémon on something from outer space. It was only fitting since she had originally came to the Earth from outer space. He had come up with several different names that could've worked and discarded them, as they didn't really seem to fit. That was until he had went out early in the morning and saw one fading star close to the sun.

"Her name is Deoxys. You know, like the Deoxys star?" Ash said.

Mr. Dems nodded and jotted the name down onto the forms Ash had given him. "Yes, I am familiar with it. Seems fitting, too, considering that your Pokémon... came from outer space..." He paused to pick up the paper and move to a nearby machine, opening the lid, and placed the paperwork down face-first. "I'm sending this paperwork to the capitol where, there, they'll formally recognize your Pokémon, assign her a number, and add her to the PokéDex."

"Do you know what her number will be? Or what the PokéDex will say about her?" Ash asked as Eevee took a step forward on the arm-rest before she placed a fore-paw onto the edge of Mr. Dem's desk. Ash noticed it and frowned, "Remember what I said, Eevee."

Eevee's ears lowered before she took a step backwards and sat down, chastised "Ve Eevee, Ee-V-Ee."

"It's alright, Mr. Ketchum. I'm certain that your Pokémon was just curious. But, as to your questions..." Mr. Dems did a quick calculation in his head, "Your Pokémon will probably be #147 in our National PokéDex. I wouldn't know what the PokéDex entry will say—or if she will have one—as you just discovered her and not a lot of information is known about her species."

"Alright." Ash nodded.

"Now, if there is anything else...?" Mr. Dems said, trailing off.

As Ash got ready to stand, Eevee moved from the arm-rest and back to her customary place on Ash's right shoulder. He got up and smiled at the older man. "No thanks, Mr. Dems. I just came here to give you the papers that Nurse Joy signed so that we could register Deoxys as an official Pokémon."

"Very well."

XXXXXX

As Ash walked out of Mr. Dems' office, he caught sight of a familiar group of people waiting for him in the waiting room. Only, there were more people waiting for him then before he had went to hand Deoxys' registration paperwork to Mr. Dems. And, while they were not unwanted, their sudden appearance was surprising.

"What're you guys doing here?" Was the first thing that Ash managed to get out.

The group of people looked up at the sound of his voice, smiled, and got up to greet him and ask him how things went. Ash answered them easily enough, telling them how Mr. Dems seemed to space out a bit and how he was passing the paperwork along, but continued to glance at the new additions to the group. They, seeing this, stopped asking him questions about what had just happened and finally decided to answer his own question.

"I heard about what happened on the news and came to see how you were doing. I didn't know if you were still here, but Nurse Joy told me that she had seen you yesterday about getting your new Pokémon checked out." Willow Black explained, "It wasn't that much of a leap to figure out where you were going after that... Only too bad that I didn't get to see you before you went to see Mr. Dems."

The second person grinned, "I've heard from Professor Oak about some of the hot-shot battles you've been in since the last time I saw you, so I'd thought that I'd come to test it for myself." He shrugged, "Would've been sooner but I got attacked by those Team Rocket creeps when I came into the city. Woke up a day ago and got checked out, saw Willow leaving the Pokémon Center, and followed her. But... for you to have done so much since we've become Pokémon Trainers... you must be a scorching Pokémon Trainer!"

"I'd like to think so, Harry." Ash laughed.

Harry Cinn was a pale-skinned boy with straight black hair, crimson eyes, and a fair splattering of freckles across his face. He was dressed in a bright-red shirt, baggy black pants with red stripes on the sides of them, and red-and-white sneakers. On his shoulder hung a strap to his red backpack while a trio of Poké Balls hung from his belt.

"Let's battle, Ash!" Harry said before moving to grab one of the Poké Balls on his belt. "After hearing all of those stories, I really want to see how fired up you can become in-person!"

Delia cut into the conversation before Ash could respond, frowning in concern. "You just got out of the hospital, Harry. Don't you think that it would be best to wait to have your battle with Ash when all injuries are fully healed? I wouldn't want either of you two to overtax yourselves."

"I'm fine, Mrs. Ketchum. I just need to see just how hot Ash's Pokémon training skills are." Harry answered before he looked at the other boy. "You want to see how fire-up I can get too, don't you Ash?"

"Yeah, I do." Ash nodded.

Harry's grin grew as he pumped his fist, "I knew it!" He unclipped and enlarged the first of his three Poké Balls, "Let's have a hot battle!"

"There is to be no fighting in this building. Remember?" Jonathan asked.

"Well then we'll find a place that can handle our hot fight!" Harry huffed before he reluctantly put away his Poké Ball and began to walk towards the exit as fast as he could. Ash's dad would probably remind him that there wasn't supposed to be any running and he could get in trouble with the security officers. So, walking it was. "C'mon, Ash!"

"Are you sure you want to battle Harry right now, Ash?" Anabel asked.

"Yeah. I've wanted to battle Harry ever since that battle I had with Gary." Ash said as he looked towards Harry's retreating form. "He's the last one of us from Pallet Town that got a Starter Pokémon from Professor Oak. And while he doesn't look to have a lot of Pokémon, Harry is sure to have trained his team to make up for that."

Anabel looked confused so Willow took pity on the other girl and told the purple-haired empath that "it was a guy thing".

XXXXXX

In his haste to start his match against Ash, Harry had quickly took off from City Hall, forcing the rest of the group to follow him as the black-haired Trainer made a beeline for the closet intact building where the battle could take place. That building just happened to be the Saffron City Pokémon Center whose roof could be used as a training grounds/battleground for Pokémon Trainers and their Pokémon.

On the way to there, it was hard not to notice everything that was going on. Burned, broken, or otherwise destroyed buildings were slowly being repaired by a ragtag mix of construction crews while the debris were loaded onto the garbage trucks that were parked nearby.

Aside from that, though, there was little to no activity. It was strange, creepy even, as the sidewalks were normally filled with people—residents and tourists—but... today there was none. It spoke of how damaged the city had become during the "Attack on Saffron City" and the people's fear of coming across a long-gone Team Rocket.

The only reason that the group had stayed in Saffron City was due to the fact that Anabel had to fully learn how to control and master her powers. With Sabrina busy with rebuilding destroyed portions of her Gym, comforting the families of those people who had been killed in her Gym, and her other duties the hours that she was able to help Anabel had dwindled while also increasing the amount of time that they had to stay in the city.

... Not to mention that Ash had planned to challenge Sabrina to a battle before the attack. That plan had been derailed by the attack but, eventually, when the Gym got back on his feet Ash would challenge her. And if he wasn't strong enough to defeat Sabrina then, he would train some more and try again until he did.

Ash's mind was so occupied thinking about all that had happened that he didn't notice that they had even made it to the Pokémon Center until he had gotten onto the roof. He blinked and looked around, seeing Harry tapping his foot impatiently, before he handed over a sleeping Deoxys over to Anabel. The purple-haired girl gave him an encouraging smile before she moved to sit on a nearby bench with Willow and his mom.

"A two-on-two battle sound good to you?" Jonathan asked, wordlessly volunteering to be the referee of the match between the two.

"Yes."

"Okay. The first one that has no Pokémon that are able to battle anymore will lose. Okay?" Jonathan looked at the boys who responded in the affirmative. "Alright, then. Call out your Pokémon!"

"You up for it, Eevee?" Ash asked. Eevee looked at him like he was crazy before jumping off his shoulder and then landing on the ground in a crouch. "Let's do this, then!"

At the same time, Harry grinned and pulled off the first Poké Ball off of his belt, enlarged it, and tossed it into the air. This was followed by a red light shooting out of the Poké Ball and towards the ground as the Pokémon within was released onto the battlefield. "Show them all your fire!"

The Pokémon that Harry has called out to battle was three feet in height with crimson scales, violet eyes, a cream underbelly, and expanses of cream coloration on the soles of its feet. The back of its head was adorned with a horn-like protrusion while, lower, a small puff of smoke exited its snout. Wicked-looking claws gleamed on the Pokémon's paws and feet while, most notably, a bright red-orange flame burned at the tip of its tail.

"Charmeleon!" The Pokémon roared.

Ash grinned, "So you're Charmander evolved, Harry?"

"Yeah." Harry said with a matching smile, "You better watch your back, Ash, because Charmeleon and I are going to show you just how scorching we really are!"

"Don't think that we'll go so easy on you, Harry!" Ash responded.

"Trainer's ready?" Jonathan asked. Both boys nodded, "Okay, then... Begin!"

Harry was immediately on the offensive, "Charmeleon, use Fire Fang!"

"Eevee, use Quick Attack!" Ash countered.

Charmeleon's mouth became filled with orange-red flames before it began to run towards Eevee at the same time that Eevee began to sprint towards Charmeleon. The two Pokémon met in the middle of the battlefield with Eevee managing to hit Charmeleon in the stomach and knock it back. While tumbling backwards, Charmeleon growled and moved to bite down on the brown-furred Pokémon. The attack connected and caused Eevee to howl with pain as the flames bit into and singed her fur and skin.

"Use Tail-Whip, Eevee!" Ash ordered. In response, Eevee quickly swung out towards Charmeleon's face with her tail, hitting Charmeleon's eyes and irritating them. It was enough for Charmeleon to open its mouth to release another attack on its aggressor, which was all that Ash needed. "Again!"

Eevee whacked Charmeleon across the face with her tail again, forcibly closing its mouth before moving away from Charmeleon. Harry frowned, "Use Dragon Rage."

Charmeleon quickly got back up onto its feet and opened its mouth to reveal a ball of energy forming within it. Neither Ash nor Eevee got a chance to do anything before this energy was unleashed in the form of a seemingly flaming beam of purple energy. The attack scorched the cream collar around Eevee's fur before she managed to jump away, noticeably slower, before she began to run as Charmeleon launched another Dragon Rage at retreating back.

"I thought you were hot stuff, Ash!" Harry taunted.

Instead of rising to the bait like Harry expected him to, Ash didn't. He knew from previous experience watching shows on the Pokémon Fight channel with Harry that Harry preferred an all-out attack strategy. And he had just proven he had kept to that same ideal and was trying to encourage him into having Eevee charge in and get within Charmeleon's range.

Still, despite knowing all of this, Ash would have usually done it anyway... before he had come to Saffron City. Or, more specifically, the Saffron City Pokémon Gym. The Psychics there were able to read his mind and knew just how to push his buttons so that they could encourage him to act in a certain way that helped them achieve a win. And it hadn't help any that they could also read his mind to see if he had any strategy to counter them. So, he had to learn how to not always rise to obvious taunts and to think on the fly.

"We'll see, Harry." Ash said before looking towards where Eevee had rolled to avoid another burst of Charmeleon's Dragon Rush. "Eevee, use Charm."

Eevee yipped to show that she had heard and understood the order before she got back onto her feet. Her tail moved to cover her snout as she looked up at Charmeleon through slightly tearing, wobbling eyes that only seemed to accent her cuteness. It stunned Charmeleon and Harry long enough for the pink orb Eevee had been forming underneath her tail to come to competition and be launched towards Charmeleon in the form of dozens of small, pink hearts.

"Burn them all with Ember!" There was no way that Harry was going to allow Ash to use _that_ move on his Pokémon. This was supposed to be a battle where Ash's Pokémon clashed with his burning Pokémon in a fiery display that would ignite the feelings of awe in those watching. Not a battle ended through the use of cheap tricks!

Charmeleon opened his mouth and unleashed a series of small fireballs towards the approaching hearts that made up Eevee's Charm. When the two techniques collided in mid-air, the Ember could be seen biting into the Charm before the techniques destabilized. The result: miniature explosions rocking the air as smoke began to obscure the middle of the battlefield.

Harry pointed his fist towards the smoke, "Now use Fire Fang!"

The Flame Pokémon opened its mouth and fire rushed upwards from its throat, coating its sharp teeth in fire. It all happened very quickly so, before the sound of explosions stopped, Charmeleon rushed towards and into the smoke. There was a flash of red that pierced through the smoke and illuminated the two figures within. The taller one could be seen rearing its head up while the shorter one, limping slightly, charged forward. Then the glow faded.

"Eevee, use Take Down!" Ash ordered.

Seconds later, Charmeleon flew backwards out of the smoke with a pained look on its face. It slammed into the ground where it bounced and then slid until it came to rest one foot away from Harry. In the middle of the battlefield, the smoke cleared enough to let Eevee be seen. She was standing up straight and panting, fur blackened in multiple places, bleeding from where Charmeleon had bit her, and had one of her eyes closed.

"It's finally starting to heat up!" Harry laughed even as his Charmeleon slowly managed to get onto its knees and stand up again, "I thought that it wouldn't after you pulled that trick... but having your Pokémon use Take Down after Charmeleon scored a direct hit with Fire Fang? That was scorching!"

"I was going to have Eevee use Quick Attack on you, but your Charmeleon's Fire Fang caught me off-guard. Quick Attack wouldn't have worked after that, with how exhausted Eevee is getting, so I had Eevee use Take Down to inflict the most damage we could." Ash admitted.

There was a moment of silence and then—

"Charmeleon, use Dragon Rage!" Harry commanded.

Ash was quick to counter this by ordering his Pokémon to, "Dodge and then use Covet, Eevee!"

By that time, Charmeleon had opened its mouth to unleash another Dragon Rage in Eevee's directions. While slower and limping a bit, Eevee was still fast enough to dodge Charmeleon's attack; zigzagging as she quickly made her way over to him. An order from Harry had Charmeleon rushing forward to try and scratch Eevee with its wicked claws, which partially succeeded. Ash had Eevee use Tail-Whip in the nick of time to take less damage, leaving the two Pokémon in a standstill. Only, Eevee had been ordered to do something else while Charmeleon hadn't...

Eevee pulled back her tail just enough so that Charmeleon's claws managed to get a couple of inches closer to her main body before she lashed out with her right fore-paw. The attack hit Charmeleon straight in the chest and made it stumble backwards a bit. Taking advantage, Eevee took a step forward before lashing out with another blow and then another, managing to push the evolved Pokémon back.

"Scary Face." Harry ordered with thinned lips and an angry, tight tone to his voice.

In Charmeleon's current situation, the Flame Pokémon couldn't use any offensive moves to escape as Eevee would hit Charmeleon with Covet. Not only would this disrupt the techniques that Charmeleon could've used, and run the risk of the techniques backfiring and injuring Charmeleon, it would just be wasting Charmeleon's remaining energy. So that had left Harry with a choice of Charmeleon's defense or supplementary techniques, which went against his favored all-on offensive strategy.

When Eevee knocked Charmeleon back again, the iris and pupils in Charmeleon's eyes vanished as its pained expression morphed into something terrifying. It stumbled a bit as it regained its footing but lifted its head as Eevee came forward to hit it with another Covet. The Scary Face made Eevee's eyes widen in terror and her legs lock in place as her body began to shake.

"Fire Fang." Harry commanded.

Charmeleon opened its mouth and, once again, fire rushed in from the back of its throat and coated its teeth in fire. Seeing this, Ash shouted towards Eevee to move, but it was too late. Charmeleon's flaming teeth bit into Eevee's shoulder and caused Eevee to cry out from the pain. Still, despite what had been intended as a finishing blow, it hadn't been enough. Eevee glared at Charmeleon before using her right fore-paw and the last of her strength to use Covet one more time on the side of Charmeleon's head.

The blow made Charmeleon open its mouth to release Eevee as it stumbled backwards and fell. At the same time, Eevee's legs buckled and she collapsed into a heap. In a few short moments both Pokémon had closed their eyes and surrendered to the blackness that was sweet, sweet unconsciousness.

"As both Eevee and Charmeleon are now unable to battle, this round is a tie." Jonathan announced.

XXXXXX

"Both of them have really grown a lot, haven't they?" Delia mused with a small smile on her face. While neither of them had actually won, Harry and Ash's battle had showed just how far they had come in mere months and hints of the type of Trainers they could grow into. At the moment, Harry seemed to favor a full-on offensive strategy while Ash favored fast attacks followed by reactionary movements.

Willow nodded, "Yeah, I think they have. Both of them look to have trained their Pokémon really hard since I last saw them. And, to think, that Ash would actually manage to hold off a Fire-Type Pokémon with a Normal-Type..."

"Ash has a team composed mostly of Normal-Type and Bug-Type Pokémon with Pidgeotto being his only Flying-Type Pokémon. That is mostly due to the Pokémon we've encountered so far and his growing bonds with his team." Anabel said before she moved to hand Mrs. Ketchum a bottle of formula moments before Deoxys began to whine. "He's made up for it, though, by training them really hard."

"Yeah. Like that new move that he made." Willow said.

A slight frown appeared on Anabel's face, "I really don't know why no one has ever come across or developed a move like that before. Quick Swim is mostly just using Quick Attack to propel a Pokémon underwater. The closet move that we've been able to find is Aqua Jet and that move just creates a shell of water around a Water-Type as it moves towards an enemy."

"There has been plenty of variation among moves and how a Trainer preforms them—such as the moves employed by Pokémon Coordinators in Contests—but there is rarely ever a chance to discover something new as opposed to rediscovering, recreating, or finding a new way to use another move." Delia said as she continued to feed little Deoxys.

Anabel and Willow nodded thoughtfully, having never really thought about that before. They both knew that were hundreds of possible moves, or ways to use them, that Pokémon could use... but Ash's development of Quick Swim had left them believing that it was possible and thinking if other Trainers had missed out on inventing new techniques because they hadn't tried hard enough. Only, they were trying hard enough. They just weren't lucky enough to stumble across a new move like Ash had.

"Looks like they're about to start again."

XXXXXX

"Having your Pokémon use one last attack to knock out my Charmeleon just before it was also knocked out due to the damage that my Pokémon inflicted on it..." Harry mused with a thoughtful expression on his face before grinning. "So, are you finally starting to turn up the heat, Ash?"

"I'm just getting warmed up." Ash joked.

Both Pokémon Trainers then pulled out the Poké Balls that would contain their next Pokémon and threw them up into the air. Twin beams of red light flared and raced towards the ground in front of the two Pokémon Trainers and, upon hitting it, began to take shape. In mere moments, both Pokémon were revealed to the world. On Ash's side of the battlefield was his Paras while on Harry's side stood a Magby.

**"Magby: The Live Coal Pokémon. This species possess a unique, magma-like blood that circulates throughout its body. They are found in or around volcanic craters. In addition, a Magbys' body temperature can reach is over 1100 degrees Fahrenheit."**

Magby had red fur, a yellow flame-shaped marking on its stomach, a single spike on its back, stubby arms, and a short red tail. Its head was covered with large lumps that resembled curly hair while, on its neck, black metal in the form of a shackle resided. "By! Mag-by!"

"See how hot my Pokémon is, Ash?" Harry asked.

Ash smiled back, "We'll see if what the PokéDex says holds up."

"... Are you both ready to battle?" Jonathan asked. When Ash and Harry replied in the positive, Jonathan nodded once before he took a step backwards and opened his mouth to then announce the start of the net match, "Begin!"

Like before, both Trainers sprang into action and ordered their Pokémon to use their first moves—Ash ordering Paras to use PoisonPowder while Magby was ordered to use Fire Spin. Spiraling red-yellow flames sped from Magby's mouth and towards the cloud of glittering purple-colored powder of Paras'. When the two collided in the middle of the battlefield, the Fire Spin easily burnt through Paras' attack before moving on towards Paras.

"Dodge it, Paras!" Ash ordered. "Then use another PoisonPowder!"

"Ras!" Paras chittered in confirmation. Scuttling to the left, he managed to avoid the spiraling flames that scorched the area where he had been standing only moments before. The mushrooms on Paras' back began to shake and purple powder began to gather before Paras sent it towards Magby again.

Magby, however, jumped backwards on Harry's orders before unleashing a couple fireballs towards the cloud of poisonous substance. Once again, the powder was ignited and reduced to nothingness. What was new, though, was when Paras came charging in from behind. Just as Magby went to unleash another fireball, Paras' two front legs came up to begin slashing Magby's chest as it began use Fury Cutter. Magby flinched at the sudden attacks but stood strong, grimacing as it held its ground against the sudden onslaught.

"That trick again?" Harry scoffed to himself before raising his voice and ordering, "Magby, Smog and then Fire Spin!"

"Paras, use Stun Spore!" Ash ordered.

Two things happened at once. Magby, stumbling backwards, opened its mouth to release a burst of black-green smoke towards Paras. Paras stopped using Fury Cutter and released a cloud of yellow powder towards Magby before jumping off to the side to avoid the Smog. It was a good thing Paras had done that for, not a couple of seconds later, a flaming whirlwind burst through the smog and impacted against the ground where Paras had been.

"Ember, Magby!"

"Paras, Spore!"

Paras released a cloud of white spores from his back at the same time as Magby spewed over a dozen tiny fireballs towards Paras. While Magby's Ember did burn through a fair amount of Paras' spores, Paras had been smart enough to send the cloud towards Magby horizontally. Magby's Ember burned through the middle of the attack, hit Paras, and sent the Bug-Type Pokémon backwards but Paras' spore began to close in on Magby.

"Fire Spin." Harry ordered. He then watched as his Magby released a super-hot whirlwind of flames towards Paras' location, burning through Paras' Spore. It was starting to get annoying, really, how Ash was trying to catch Magby in one of those spore techniques that Paras had. Especially after he had Magby keep burning through them, over and over again. _'You better think of something, Ash, or I'm gonna end this un-hot battle.'_

"Paras, dodge it!" Ash hurriedly said.

Paras scuttled to the left to avoid the twisting flames, straight into Magby's path as the Fire-Type Pokémon appeared. The Bug-Type was barely able to get his front legs up in time to block Magby's claws from scoring a direct blow against him but at the expense of further wounding his semi-burned legs. Magby saw the wince Paras made and, motivated by Harry's order, pressed forward to try and take advantage of Paras' weakness to break through its defense.

Though, defense wasn't all that Ash had in mind. The distance between his Pokémon and Harry's Pokémon left him with an opportunity to finally have Paras land a move (excluding Fury Cutter). "Paras, use Sleeping Powder."

"Magby, Ember!" Harry ordered only seconds afterwards, having noticed like Ash the position their Pokémon were in and having predicted what Ash would have Paras use next. It wasn't that hard to determine that it wouldn't be Fury Cutter, as Paras was using those limbs to block, and it couldn't have been Leech Life either since Paras wouldn't be able to use it without first receiving damage from Magby.

Unfortunately, the time it took for Paras to shake his back to release the yellow powder from his mushrooms was less than the time it took for Magby to launch an Ember. The cloud of yellow spores hit Magby in the face just as it opened its mouth to unleash its Ember. The effects of the move could be seen as Magby stumbled backwards from the cloud, eyes already drooping.

"Leech Life, Paras!"

Paras lunged forward to bite Magby on the leg, causing Magby to cry out in pain, before Paras began to suck out Magby's energy. This, coupled with the effects of Paras' Sleeping Powder, was what caused Magby to lose consciousness in the following seconds. Perhaps, if Magby hadn't already been hurt or it had been able to use Clear Smog, it could have continued on... but it didn't.

"As Magby is no longer able to battle, this round goes to Paras." Jonathan announced as Paras, looking much healthier, scuttled over towards Ash and Magby was recalled by a frowning Harry. "And that means that the winner of this two vs. two battle is Ash."

Ash pumped his fist, "Yeah!" Seeing Paras so close, he quickly closed the distance between them before he moved to pick up the small Bug-Type Pokémon. "You did amazing, Paras." He praised as he began to scratch Paras' back, "I knew you could do it!"

"Ras-ras Paras." Paras chittered happily, proud that he had been able to prove himself to his Trainer. There hadn't been a lot of chances for him to do that since his Trainer had captured him (besides repetitive loses to those weird Humans in that one building) and he had been useless when his Trainer needed him. So this victory, and seeing how happy it made his Trainer, made Paras like proving himself a good Pokémon.

By this time, an unhappy-looking Harry had made his way over to Ash. "That was an un-hot move you used to end our battle, Ash..." He frowned, "You know that I wanted a scorching hot battle and you kept using those un-hot moves..." A sudden thought occurred to him. "But I'll let it slide, this time. You must've been using those un-hot moves because you didn't have any other hot moves to use against my scorching Pokémon."

"... Okay, Harry." There was no way that Ash was going to try and refute that statement. If he did, then Harry would probably challenge him to another battle or just get angry at him. He would probably react in a similar manner if he lost (which was more than proven with his losing streak against Sabrina's psychic Trainers), so... he really couldn't hold it against Harry either.

"Why did you use Paras, Ash?" Willow asked as she Anabel, Delia, and his parents made their way over. "Your Pidgeotto or Beedrill would've been better suited to face off against Magby..." Her Bulbasaur nudged her foot as she trailed off, bringing her attention down where she came to notice the somewhat hurt look on Paras' face, "I-I'm sorry, Paras. I didn't mean to say that you weren't good, because you really were, but..."

"I could have used Pidgeotto or Beedrill, but then I wouldn't have given Paras a chance to battle. With all that's happened recently, it's been a little hard to find battles where Paras can show everyone how amazing he really is." Ash answered, earning a grateful chitter from Paras.

"Paras certainly put on a good show." Anabel said with a small smile.

Ash looked down and grinned at his Pokémon, "Yeah. Me and Paras will have to watch out for Harry in the future, but we're looking forward to it. Right, buddy?"

Paras chittered in agreement, determination evident in his blue eyes. Next time, he would be much stronger and able to defeat Magby, or any of that black-haired Trainer's Pokémon. Even if those Pokémon were like Magby and held natural advantages over him and his type, he would do his best to get stronger than he was so that he would be able to beat them.

"Okay. I think that's enough excitement for today." Delia said as she and Jonathan approached the group of pre-teens with Ash's Deoxys sleeping comfortably in her arms. "I also think that it is time for us to follow little Deoxys' example and go to get something for us to eat."

In the following moments, the air became filled with the sound of several hungry stomachs growling. Jonathan and Delia shared small smiles as the group of pre-teen Pokémon Trainers looked down, embarrassed that they hadn't noticed that they were hungry.

* * *

Ash's Pokémon Team:

Eevee (Female): Level 28.  
Attacks: Tackle (Normal), Sand Attack (Normal), Scratch (Normal), Tail-Whip (Normal), Helping Hand (Normal), Growl (Normal), Bite (Dark), Charm (Normal), Quick Attack (Normal), Covet (Normal), Take Down (Normal), and Quick Swim (Normal).

Pidgeotto (Male): Level 24.  
Attacks: Sand Attack (Ground), Tackle (Normal), Gust (Flying), Peck (Flying), Whirlwind (Flying), and Twister (Dragon).

Rattata (Male): Level 23.  
Attacks: Bite (Dark), Tackle (Normal), Quick Attack (Normal), Hyper Fang (Normal), Scratch (Normal), Pursuit (Dark), Quick Swim (Normal), and Sucker Punch (Dark).

Beedrill (Male): Level 22.  
Attacks: String-Shot (Bug), Poison-Sting (Poison), Bug-Bite (Bug), Fury Attack (Normal), Pursuit (Dark,) Twineedle (Bug), and Rage (Normal).

Clefairy (Female): Level 19.  
Attacks: Sing (Normal), Pound (Normal), Encore (Normal), Metronome (Normal), DoubleSlap (Normal), Defense Curl (Normal), Follow Me (Normal), and Bestow (Normal).

Paras (Male): Level 21.  
Attacks: PoisonPowder (Poison), Stun Spore (Grass), Sleep Powder (Grass), Spore (Grass), Leech Life (Bug), and Fury Cutter (Bug).

* * *

Anabel's Pokémon Team:

Kadabra (Male): Level 27.  
Attacks: Teleport (Psychic), Psyshock (Psychic), Confusion (Psychic), Psychic (Psychic), Disable (Normal), Miracle Eye (Psychic), and Ally Switch (Psychic).

Butterfree (Female): Level 22.  
Attacks: Confusion (Psychic), Poisonpowder (Poison), Stun Spore (Grass), Harden (Bug), Sleep Powder (Grass), String Shot (Bug), Gust (Flying), and Supersonic (Normal).

* * *

Harry's Pokémon Team:

Charmeleon (Male): Level 25.  
Attacks: Scratch (Normal), Growl (Normal), Ember (Fire), SmokeScreen (Normal), Dragon Rage (Dragon), Fire Fang (Fire), and Scary Face (Normal).

Magby (Female): Level 20.  
Attacks: Smog (Poison), Leer (Normal), Ember (Fire), SmokeScreen (Normal), Faint Attack (Dark), Fire Spin (Fire), and Clear Smog (Poison).

Growlithe (Male): Level 15.  
Attacks: Bite (Dark), Roar (Normal), Ember (Fire), Leer (Normal), Odor Sleuth (Normal), and Helping Hand (Normal).

* * *

**A/N: Author's Note: **And so closes Chapter 28 of Pokémon: Eevee Chronicles. We got a basic overview of what Kanto's government is planning on doing, got to see Ash give the files that will lead to Deoxys being registered as an official Pokémon, and met the final Trainer to receive a Starter Pokémon from Professor Oak: Harry Cinn! And he's quite the hot-head! ... *A cricket chirps only to be silenced by its peers*...

W-Well! I've read everyone's comments about the trip to Hoenn and I've decided what I'm going to do about it. So, while he will eventually go there, Ash will be staying in Kanto for a little while more. After all, he still has some Gym Leaders to challenge, Kanto Pokémon to train, the Kanto Pokémon League, and... Wait for it... a Movie-esque special that I will ask you guys about it the future.

Also, some people have left reviews and private messages about how "dark" this story is becoming with the involvement of Team Rocket. As they are a villainous organization (and that I try to be realistic as possible), well, they have to be. They're the first really _major_ obstacle that the people in Kanto will have to overcome... if they can.

Now that that's over... please review.


	29. Chapter 29:

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

* * *

Legend:

"Someone is talking."  
'_Someone is thinking.'  
_"A technique/ability."

* * *

Chapter 29:

* * *

(Saffron City—Pokémon Center—Room #150)

At the moment, four pre-teen Pokémon Trainers could be found sitting on the bottom bunks. Two of the Pokémon Trainers—Ash Ketchum and Anabel White—sat quietly while they waited for their friends—Willow Black and Harry Cinn to digest what they had told them and respond. It was quite a lot of information, but Ash had wanted to tell his friends what had been going on and Anabel hadn't disagreed. So they told them.

"So... let me get this straight." Harry muttered as he shifted slightly, trying to get more comfortable, looking at the "A.A. Duo" with a somewhat skeptical look. "You guys met on Mt. Moon where Anabel stopped Team Rocket's plan by having her Pokémon teleport lights away? And then you fought them again when they went after a giant Moon Stone, beat them, and were then healed by an older version of Deoxys that asked you to take care of its "friend" before it vanished?"

Ash nodded.

"Professor Oak suggested that Deoxys might have the ability to project their energy over long distances and that, after healing me, it ran out of energy." Anabel answered quietly. "He also said that Deoxys was probably the other one's child even though it called it its "friend"."

When Professor Oak had heard about the news on Mt. Moon he, like everyone else, wanted Ash to tell him more. Naturally, he also asked Anabel—it had been her weird vision-like dream that had led them to try and save the Moon Stone—but she could only tell him so much. She had, after all, been knocked unconscious after being beaten by James. The Pokémon Professor had been initially curious about the vision and the fact that Anabel had been healed by Deoxys, but he couldn't do much about either of those things.

So that just left Ash to, once again, having to explain everything in as much detail as possible.

The Pokémon Professor had speculated that the two Deoxys had come to the planet at one time, inside or on some sort of meteor. That meteor broke apart into one large shard, which formed the Moon Stone, and countless other, smaller shards. The older Deoxys, he theorized, had left some sort of energy clinging to the environment which activated upon the time that Deoxys' Pokémon Egg began to get ready to hatch.

Professor Oak's theory didn't explain how such a thing could have occurred or even how Deoxys' Pokémon Egg had survived countless years inside of the Moon Stone, but that didn't really matter at this point. The Pokémon Professor was busy with his team examining the remains of the Moon Stone (and planning on moving it afterwards so that Team Rocket wouldn't be able to use it) while Ash was busy dealing with the aftermath of the Attack on Saffron City, training his Pokémon Team, and learning to care for baby Deoxys.

"Right..." Harry stretched out the word, slightly disbelieving. "You guys stayed together and went to Cerulean City where you met Willow and Gary, Ash beat Gary and the local Gym Leader, and Anabel caught a Butterfree. And then decided to travel together because Anabel didn't want you to raise a Baby Pokémon by yourself, Ash."

Anabel lowered her head embarrassedly. She had acted pretty bold then, but Ash had been feeling so sad and she didn't want to leave him alone. And, more selfishly, she hadn't wanted to be parted from the first human friend that she had made. "Y-Yes."

"You guys got to Saffron City and were approached in the city by the Gym Leader who sensed something was wrong with you. After some examination she figured out that Anabel's super-hot ability to read emotions had mixed with some "field" that Ash apparently has in order to help Anabel since she had never been trained in how to use her power." Harry paused for a moment and turned to Ash, "Any clue on what that field thing of yours is or what it does yet?"

"Not really." Ash said with a shake of his head, "Sabrina was able to notice its presence but not much else. Anabel was able to sense that it radiates some sort of calm feeling but, except for sensing it during a few rare "pulses" didn't notice it at all. Sabrina also said that it isn't some sort of mental power... So we really don't know what it could be or why its there."

Harry frowned.

"After that, you guys began training here for a while. The attack happened and one of the two Rocket jerks you met came back, busted into the room, use her Pokémon's Sing to disable all of your Pokémon, and begin to take her revenge. You escaped and then Deoxys hatched." Willow asked before she frowned, "Do you know if they caught her?"

"No. No one caught her." Ash sighed.

That had been a sour point amongst everyone that was there. None of them had been concerned about Jessie when they had left Sabrina's office—aside from how hurt they were feeling and how grateful they were to be able to escape—but they had hoped Jessie would've gotten caught. Jessie didn't have anything that would have allowed her to break through Kadabra's Psychic, but Kadabra had been slowly lost his iron-clad psychic grip over the woman as the distance between them increased.

Still, they had hoped that Jessie would have been caught.

It had been a pipe dream—Psychic was a move that required active concentration and close distance the target to maintain—though, in hindsight, they had wished that Kadabra's Psychic had held out long enough for help to arrive. If that had happened, they wouldn't have to worry about Jessie eventually coming back to get her revenge on them. And they had all learned that it wasn't a matter of "if" Jessie would come back.

Jessie was a person that didn't let of things easily and was one to actively plot her revenge on those she believed had wronged her. The reason why she was after Ash and Anabel was because Ash had stopped her and her partner in Viridian City, they had defeated them on Mt. Moon, led to Jessie's team being spilt up, and had escaped when she was trying to get her revenge by killing them. So, Jessie would definitely come back one day.

With that knowledge in mind, training had become a priority. Jessie was a smart, powerful woman with a Pokémon Team that wasn't to be underestimated. In the future, her Pokémon would be much stronger and trained in new ways to try and end them. So, in response, Jonathan and Delia had begun helping Ash and Anabel train their own Pokémon. Jonathan and Delia had wanted them to start taking self-defense classes too—in case their Pokémon couldn't fight for them—but there weren't any self-defense classes up yet due to reconstruction efforts.

And, despite people thinking that they would know some self-defense, Delia and Jonathan didn't know much. Delia had never taken an interest in the subject before the attack and Jonathan hadn't needed to use what is parents had taught him and had forgotten a majority of what he had learned.

So, Pokémon Training it was.

"That sucks." Harry frowned. Personally, he couldn't imagine what it must have felt like to know that there was someone out there that wanted to do you harm. He knew and remembered how Team Rocket had hurt him in the past, but then again Team Rocket had attacked anyone and everyone they could during the Battle of Saffron City. He didn't have someone personally gunning for him. "That really sucks."

"Yeah..."

An awkward silence descended upon the group. No one knew what to say in light of what happened. Willow and Harry could have apologized, but they hadn't done anything wrong. They could have offered to help but Mr. and Mrs. Ketchum along with some other adults were dying their best to help Ash and Anabel. And both of them knew that neither Ash nor Anabel would want them to try and tell them that everything would be alright when it might not be.

The silence was finally broken when something began to cry. Ash quickly got up from his bunk before making his way towards the crib that one of Nurse Joy's Chansey had brought in after Nurse Joy had finished her examination of Deoxys.

Looking inside the crib, Ash saw that Deoxys really was awake and wasn't very happy. Eevee looked up at him with a helpless look while Clefairy—who had begun to look after Deoxys like a mother hen—was trying her best to soothe the Baby Pokémon but could not. The reason for that was pretty clear.

"Deoxys' made a mess again." Ash informed his curious friends with a small sigh. Carefully, he reached down and picked up Deoxys while trying not to breathe through his nose. "Could somebody please go find Nurse Joy and tell her what happened? That we could use some clean sheets and air freshener—?"

"I'll do it!" Harry all-but shouted, face slightly green from the smell, before he raced out of the room. "Be back soon!"

Silence.

"Anabel, do you think you can grab Eevee and Clefairy and take them to the bathroom? I would but my arms are kind of full right now..."

XXXXXX

(Saffron City—Pokémon Center—Cafeteria)

After Deoxys, Eevee, and Clefairy had been cleaned up, Ash had walked back into his room with Deoxys in his arms to find that Nurse Joy's Chansey had come and gone. The crib's sheets had been replaced, the air had lost the foul stench that had begun to take it over, and a package of diapers had been delivered. The sight of that package almost brought Ash to tears—thank heaven that Chansey had been so kind.

So, after putting Deoxys in a diaper, Ash had accompanied his friends and had gone to the cafeteria to get some breakfast. He could be found now feeding a Deoxys from a bottle while his friends ate, having already scarfed his down. His other Pokémon had been released from their PokéBalls and were now eating alongside Anabel, Harry, and Willow's Pokémon.

Conversation between the group had returned and, not wanting to think about some of the stuff they had talked about earlier, they purposefully chose light topics. They were currently talking about what had happened Harry and Willow since they had left Pallet Town to start their Pokémon Journey/left Cerulean City to go to a Pokémon Breeder's Convention.

"I went to Cinnabar Island to fight some scorching Fire-Type Pokémon that live there. I battled a lot of them, caught my hot Magby, and then met Blaine." Harry recounted between large bites of his eggs. "He's the Gym Leader there and specializes in Fire-Type Pokémon. A little crazy with all the riddles and stuff, but a very hot Pokémon Battler. I got tons of new hot ideas but I'll have to wait for my Pokémon to evolve before I try to use them."

This piqued Ash's interest. "What kind of ideas?"

"I'm not telling you so you'll have to see when we battle next." Harry said and then grinned at the look that passed over Ash's face. He paused to eat a little more of his food and take a drink before continuing. "After I left Cinnabar Island, I went to a couple of other hot places. I caught my Growlithe in this one really hot spot before hearing about some of what Ash did. I came here for a battle and got jumped by a couple of Rocket jerks, woke up in the hospital, and escaped as soon as I could."

"What did they do to you?" Ash asked. He didn't really know what had happened to his friend, but to have to be taken to the hospital and then reminded by his mom (who obviously knew something) to "take it easy" meant that something big had happened.

"Nothing much. Just a lot of scratches, a couple of fractured or sprained ribs, and a but-ton of bruises." Harry answered with a dismissive shrug of his shoulders. "I could have beat them if I knew that they were there, but they snuck up on me. Cowards."

Anabel's eyes were wide "They broke some of your _ribs_?"

That was not something to be so dismissive about. Not only did treating broken ribs take a month or longer to heal, which meant that Harry was still suffering from it, fragments of the rib could have broken off and sunk into the flesh surrounding them. No wonder why Harry had been sent to the hospital! They had probably spent hours trying to make sure that he would be okay and then coming up with a treatment plan that wouldn't negatively affect Harry—as some medication/treatments wouldn't work/help someone his age—and convincing him to follow it.

But, if all of that was "nothing much", then what was "injured" to Harry?

"I didn't feel so hot for the first couple of days, but the doctor gave me some stuff that made the pain stop. Like I said, it's not that big of a deal." Harry replied before he turned towards Willow, "So what we're you up too?"

It was an obvious attempt to change to topic and everyone knew it, but no one said anything about it. It was probably a mixture of not knowing what to say—what could they say?—and the previous uncomfortable and awkward atmosphere beginning to return. None of them wanted that so the issue was dropped as Willow began to speak.

"I went to a Pokémon Breeder convention at Scissors Street. You guys might have had fun challenging Gym Leaders and battling other Pokémon Trainers, but I think I had a great time too. I learned about the different groups that Pokémon Eggs can be in and how to identify them, how to care for Baby Pokémon, and got a lot of really good tips on basic Pokémon Care." Willow began to smile as she talked, remembering what had happened and how much fun she had had. "I wish I had found a Ditto before then, though."

"Why would you want a Ditto?" Harry asked.

Ash looked at him like he was crazy, "Why wouldn't someone want a Ditto? Ditto can morph into any Pokémon they come across and, after they morph, they can then use any move that the Pokémon they based their morph on knows."

"Not to mention the fact that their unique Transform ability makes them capable of breeding with any other Pokémon in the world after they have morphed into it. It's the reason why Pokémon Breeders have become so successful in breeding genderless like Magnemite or single-gender Pokémon like Kangaskhan." Here Willow paused before raising a finger. "Should I remind you that Kangaskhan were a species of Pokémon that almost went _extinct_ before Pokémon Breeders figured out they could use Ditto in Pokémon Breeding?

"I didn't meant to say that Ditto aren't important, but they're so hard to train." Harry said with a small frown. "You have to make sure that it can perfectly replicate the Pokémon it sees or the transformation will be weak and won't last long. And even then you won't use them for real hot battles since they really aren't the Pokémon they transform into and haven't been trained in that form and can be beaten quickly if the other Trainer knows which Pokémon is which."

"That's not always the case. Some Ditto can be as strong as the Pokémon that they transform into." Ash argued.

Harry rolled his eyes, "Yeah. But that only happens if its Trainer has trained a Ditto in its natural form to increase its regular abilities as a Pokémon. Which takes a really un-hot time since a Ditto's body is basically just jello—how is jello supposed to train itself to go faster or be stronger than it is?"

"... I guess that's true." Ash sighed.

"I wouldn't say that Ditto are unable to be trained and used as capable battlers for Pokémon Trainers, but they do have uses in other areas that often overshadow their fighting ability." Jonathan stated as he and his wife approached the table that his son and his son's friends were sitting at. "Not only are they great partners for a Pokémon Breeder, Ditto can be used by archeologists to examine areas where people can't normally get into."

"How does someone train a Ditto to fight?" Harry asked.

"Well, training a Ditto can be difficult due to their unique body, but not that much more than training a regular Pokémon." Jonathan said as he and Delia sat down on the ends of the table. "At birth, Ditto are very sluggish and don't move that often. As they grow, however, Ditto become more capable of controlling their bodies which allows them to move faster, show more strength, and have an easier time morphing into whatever they want to."

Ash looked over, "So you're saying that Ditto naturally grow stronger over time?"

"All Pokémon grow stronger over time, Ash. It's just a matter of if they have to do it on their own in the wild or at the sides of a Pokémon Trainer. Pokémon Trainers naturally push their Pokémon into becoming stronger as fast as they can while Wild Pokémon slowly grow stronger to protect themselves from their predators." Jonathan explained before he paused for a moment. "Ditto don't have any visible muscle mass, but training them to be able to move more quickly, lift increasingly heavy weights with their bodies, and training them in their Transform ability is usually the way to train them."

"Hm..." Harry didn't seem convinced, but the others did.

"Mr. Ketchum, since you seem to know a lot about Ditto... do you know where someone would find one?" Willow asked.

Jonathan scratched his chin, "Ditto are pretty rare Pokémon, Willow. Unlike most Normal-Type Pokémon, they aren't found in the wild that often and, if they are, they usually hide from a Pokémon Trainer by pretending to be another Pokémon. Most of the people I know used the services of a Pokémon Nursery to get one."

"Oh." It made sense considering that Ditto was supposed to be a rare Pokémon, but that didn't make up for the disappointment Willow felt when she heard that. Most other Pokémon Breeders were somehow able to find Ditto to use in their Pokémon Breeding or, if not, afford to buy a Ditto from a Pokémon Nursery. She did not; she had a good amount saved up, but that was for travelling purposes since she didn't get money through Pokémon Battling.

"Don't worry, Willow. I'm sure that you'll get a Ditto." Ash said.

"Especially if you were to perhaps check around Route 13." Jonathan added nonchalantly. He grinned as surprised looks broke out across their faces before he shrugged, "Just because I said that the people I know got them from Pokémon Nurseries doesn't mean I don't know where to find them in the wild."

Willow beamed. "Thank you, Mr. Ketchum."

"No problem, Willow." Jonathan said.

"With what happened recently, though, you shouldn't go off looking for one by yourself." Delia added after a moment. Her thoughts travelled to remembered bits of news all involving increasing numbers of young groups of Pokémon Trainers or lone travelers reported being attacked and robbed of their Pokémon. "You should stay until the president goes through with his press conference and sets some guidelines to make sure you're safe on the road."

"I'll be staying for a little while longer already, Mrs. Ketchum." Willow replied before giving a quick glance at her friends. "I still need to get some supplies for myself and Bulbasaur, give Ash a few more tips on caring for Baby Pokémon, giving someone Anabel to talk to—" Which earned her an offended "Anabel has people to talk too" before Willow continued speaking "—and maybe see about training Bulbasaur for a little while."

"I don't mean to be a bother, but isn't it time we start leaving?" Anabel asked.

This question caused everyone to turn their attention to the cafeteria's clock. Only thirty minutes had passed since the original group of preteens had come and started to eat, but it was getting a bit late. Not late in the sense of it going dark, but late in the sense that they were going to miss something if they didn't leave soon. The "something" in question: Anabel's continuing training with Sabrina at the Saffron City Pokémon Gym.

"It seems you're right Anabel; we should get going." Jonathan said.

"Let's go, then!"

XXXXXX

After everyone had put away their breakfast trays and recalled their Pokémon, the group left the Pokémon Center and began walking towards Saffron City's Pokémon Gym. The trip took a little bit longer than it usually did but, after ten minutes, they finally arrived at their destination. It was quite the sight as, despite everything, Team Rocket hadn't destroyed that much of the Pokémon Gym's exterior.

The interior, however, was a different story. The lobby, three training rooms, eight hallways, numerous supply areas, and Sabrina's office had all been trashed. That was not taking into account how much of the Pokémon Gym's people had fallen in the initial attack. It was lucky that Sabrina had arrived when she did to rally the psychic Pokemon Trainers around her and unleashed the full extent of her mind-based powers or countless more would have died.

As a result of the attack, getting into the Pokémon Gym had been made more difficult. Pokémon Trainers would notice the new guards standing at attention around the lobby, the new security cameras on the upper floors, and the Pokémon Gym's stricter stance on the rules. It didn't stop anyone from going where they wanted to, but things were changing to make sure that everyone would be safe while they were in the Gym.

So, after checking in and writing down where they were headed, the group spilt up. Harry raced off down the hallways towards where Ash and Anabel had told him the main training room was while Willow went off to try and find the small Pokémon Nursery the Pokémon Gym was said to have. Anabel, Ash, and the older Ketchums climbed up a staircase towards the second floor to bring Anabel to Sabrina for her training. It wasn't necessary that all of them go, but after what had happened... sticking together had become a priority.

Jonathan knocked at the door to Sabrina's office seconds before a blue glow surrounded it and the door swung inwards. Sabrina looked up from the paperwork that littered her new desk, nodded once, and handed a small stack of envelopes over to her Kadabra before it teleported away.

"I can understand your concern, but I can assure you that nothing will happen." Sabrina said as she pushed back her chair and stood up. "Even on the off-chance that something would happen, I have made sure so what happened before will not happen again. You may rest assured that everyone in this building, no matter where they are, will be safe."

"Be that as it may, I think it would be better if we came with Anabel today Sabrina." Jonathan replied before thinking, _'The last time they were here, Ash and Anabel were attacked by a member of Team Rocket. I know you have made sure that something like that wouldn't happen again... but I don't believe we should separate them right now.'_

Sabrina was silent for a moment before she nodded once. "Very well." She said. "Your presence may actually be a good thing as, depending on Anabel's reaction, we may be able to try to slowly separate her power from Ash's today."

"... What?"

"For the past few weeks, Anabel has learned how to build mental barriers and to separate her conscious mind from the constant stream of emotions that her empathic abilities allow her to sense and feel." Sabrina began to explain. "It was because she lacked this separation that she became overwhelmed by large groups of people in the past—she picked up on their emotions and, as people are always feeling some sort of emotion, she was being "attacked" every moment."

"If she managed to separate her mind from her ability, wouldn't that make it so that she couldn't use it?" Ash asked.

Sabrina shook her head, "Not exactly. Just because Anabel has managed to separate her conscious mind from her gift, it doesn't mean that she can no longer use it. No, it means that Anabel will have to focus on her gift to bring it forward and use it." She paused for a moment, "The mental barriers I had Anabel create are to support that separation while also acting as a defense in situations where she enters an area populated with more people than she is used to until she gets used to it."

"How many people do you think that I can take right now, Ms. Sabrina?" Anabel asked.

Anabel didn't want to admit it, but she was a bit unnerved at what was going on. Ms. Sabrina seemed to think that she was ready to try and separate her powers from Ash's power but she was unsure. Hadn't she almost lost herself to the emotions people were feeling during the attack on the Pokémon Gym? She had barely managed to pull herself out from them. So, how could Ms. Sabrina think that she was ready to do this?

"That depends entirely on you Anabel. Every empath is different, but that is what we are going to test today." Sabrina answered with a reassuring tone. "We will test to see how many people's emotions you feel comfortable feeling at one time by slowly bringing them into the room we train in. If you show yourself capable of handling at least five people, I believe that you will be ready to try separating your power from Ash's power. From there, you will just have to get yourself used to feeling more people."

Ash smiled, "That's great!"

Anabel made sure to keep a small smile on her face when Ash turned to look at her encouragingly so that he wouldn't believe that anything was wrong. Even though she was worrying about all of this, she didn't want Ash to think that and think of her badly. After all, if she passed Ms. Sabrina's test and was able to separate her power from Ash's power... she wouldn't have a reason to stay with Ash anymore.

Would Ash even _want_ her to stay?

* * *

Ash's Pokémon Team:

Eevee (Female): Level 29.  
Attacks: Tackle (Normal), Sand Attack (Normal), Scratch (Normal), Tail-Whip (Normal), Helping Hand (Normal), Growl (Normal), Bite (Dark), Charm (Normal), Quick Attack (Normal), Covet (Normal), Take Down (Normal), and Quick Swim (Normal).

Pidgeotto (Male): Level 25.  
Attacks: Sand Attack (Ground), Tackle (Normal), Gust (Flying), Peck (Flying), Quick Attack (Normal), Whirlwind (Flying), and Twister (Dragon).

Rattata (Male): Level 24.  
Attacks: Bite (Dark), Tackle (Normal), Quick Attack (Normal), Crunch (Dark), Hyper Fang (Normal), Scratch (Normal), Pursuit (Dark), Quick Swim (Normal), and Sucker Punch (Dark).

Beedrill (Male): Level 23.  
Attacks: String-Shot (Bug), Poison-Sting (Poison), Bug-Bite (Bug), Fury Attack (Normal), Pursuit (Dark,) Twineedle (Bug), and Rage (Normal).

Clefairy (Female): Level 20.  
Attacks: Sing (Normal), Pound (Normal), Encore (Normal), Metronome (Normal), DoubleSlap (Normal), Defense Curl (Normal), Follow Me (Normal), and Bestow (Normal).

Paras (Male): Level 22.  
Attacks: PoisonPowder (Poison), Stun Spore (Grass), Sleep Powder (Grass), Spore (Grass), Leech Life (Bug), and Fury Cutter (Bug).

* * *

Anabel's Pokémon Team:

Kadabra (Male): Level 27.  
Attacks: Teleport (Psychic), Psyshock (Psychic), Confusion (Psychic), Psychic (Psychic), Disable (Normal), Miracle Eye (Psychic), and Ally Switch (Psychic).

Butterfree (Female): Level 23.  
Attacks: Confusion (Psychic), Poisonpowder (Poison), Stun Spore (Grass), Harden (Bug), Sleep Powder (Grass), String Shot (Bug), Gust (Flying), and Supersonic (Normal).

* * *

**A/N: Author's Note: **Sorry about the length, guys, and how its mostly filler! Please forgive me! And please don't hate on me because of the time I spent to take this out (end of school stuff, graduation, helping at my church, going to camp, moving to a new house—all of that takes time).

Now, to try to make it up to you guys... I think its time to answer some of your questions~!

1. **RedRangerBelt**: Saffron City has already begun rebuilding itself and several policies and precautions are starting to take form. The general reader will not get much of those that I haven't gone over in previous/future chapters as I've noticed that the story has been drifting a little bit away from the main character. That isn't to say that you won't hear about the policies as Ash hears about them, but... As to your other question, Deoxys could learn how to mentally communicate like other Psychic-Type Pokémon but that would take some time.

2. **CDR2Magi**: I will be addressing Pikachu's fate sometime soon. You have already learned that Charmander was taken away to be healed from its injuries (physical and mental) while Bulbasaur has been taken by Team Rocket because of its obvious power. Squirtle is still on the loose with the Squirtle Squad, though with how things are changing... How long will the Squirtle Squad be allowed to continue their antics in a state of near-war?

3. **Everyone**: Team Rocket being spilt up was intentional. I wanted to spilt them up to show that even they could be punished (and why weren't they after wasting so much money and failing so many missions?) and have them have to slowly claw their way back to their former positions. And getting some revenge along the way? After all, Jessie set up Pierce _wonderfully_. Shows him for trying to assert his authority over her and hurting poor Melanie.

One last thing: I'm going to be setting up a link to a forum on my profile page. This forum will serve to answer any questions that you may have and allow me to put down several ideas that I have for the Pokémon World. By doing this, I can work out the "kinks" to the Pokémon World and make sure that everything makes sense and is as realistic as it can be.

P.S.: The Forum will also serve as a place where you can create your own Pokémon Trainer (Breeder, Battler, Racer, Coordinator, etc.) as, while there are characters for the show, there are not enough characters in the anime and I would like to use different characters for future battles (such as the Pokémon League and movie-esque events)...

Bye~!


	30. Chapter 30:

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

* * *

Legend:

"Someone is talking."  
'_Someone is thinking.'  
_"A technique/ability."

* * *

Chapter 30:

* * *

(Saffron City—Pokémon Gym—Training Room)

"Are you ready, Anabel?" Ms. Sabrina asked.

Anabel didn't, but she nodded anyways. Ms. Sabrina had taken time out of her personal schedule in order to help her learn how to control her powers and Anabel didn't want to waste anymore of her time. It was important that she finished learning how to control it, but Ms. Sabrina could have been doing a lot of other, more important things than helping her. And it wasn't as if the purple-haired girl particularly wanted to—

No, she shouldn't be thinking like that. She did want to finish her training. It would allow her to walk through towns without being constantly bombarded by emotions, to be able to turn off her power when she wanted, and free up the time she had been training with Ms. Sabrina to catch and/or train more Pokémon.

The problem, however, that another part of Anabel didn't want to finish the training. It would mean that Ms. Sabrina would be able to try to break her mind's dependence on Ash's power to keep it safe. From there, Ash could want her to leave and she didn't want to do that. Leaving her first friend was something at, this point in time, scared the wits out of her. Still, it wasn't as if she had much of a choice; everybody was counting on her and, as much as she hated and was afraid of leaving Ash, she didn't want to disappoint them.

"Very well, then." Ms. Sabrina said before gesturing with her hands for Anabel to sit on the tan carpeting and assume her meditative position. The position wasn't necessary, but the process of meditation helped those learning how to control their psychic/empathy powers. "If the emotions that you sense become too much, think about and I'll stop the test." She waited until Anabel had nodded and then smiled. "Let's start."

Following Ms. Sabrina's instructions, Anabel closed her eyes and focused on evening out her breathing. She slowly felt herself become less aware of her surroundings and more aware of herself. Distantly, she heard Ms. Sabrina guide her as she envisioned her mind, the mental barriers she had set into place, and the constantly flowing and changing wind that represented her powers. She made sure that the barriers were as strong as they could be and then, slowly, allowed the "wind" to start flowing over them. And then it began to flow around her.

The first emotions that Anabel sensed were Ms. Sabrina's; a mixture of anticipation and pride. She then felt the "wind" around her strengthen as more emotions emerged—a small part of Anabel absently realized it must have been Ms. Sabrina letting in other people to help with the test—but it was nothing that she couldn't handle. Compared to the hurricane of emotions she had been trapped in during the attack, this was easy.

Happiness, hope, joy, pride, anticipation, nervousness, boredom, satisfaction, irritation, wonder. These emotions ebbed and flowed around Anabel, but none of them were demanding of her attention. She felt them as they came and then allowed them to flow past and rejoin the flow. It was the smoothest flow she had ever experienced, a peaceful and controlled display of her powers she wished she had always had.

Why had she been so worried?

"Okay, Anabel." Ms. Sabrina's voice called from the distance. "You can stop now. The test is over."

Anabel frowned, but complied. She stopped focusing on her empathy and slowly, ever so slowly, the "wind" was cut off by her mental barriers. She could still feel them like she heard Ms. Sabrina's voice, asking for her attention, but it was distant and she found she could ignore it without too much trouble. It was nice. She then started to focus on Ms. Sabrina's voice and, slowly, exited her meditative trance and opened her eyes.

Ms. Sabrina smiled, "Very well done, Anabel. You pass."

A moment later, the clapping started. Anabel startled and turned around to see Mr. and Mrs. Ketchum, Ash, Willow, and Harry all standing near the doorway. Each of them were clapping, smiling, or offering her congratulatory words. She smiled back at them hesitantly, feeling happy and accomplished. She had passed Ms. Sabrina's test.

'_What was I so worried about before?'_ Anabel wondered.

"I think it would be best if we took a break before we continue. The test may have exhausted Anabel and it would be better if we allowed her to fully recover." Ms. Sabrina said as things began to quiet down, "That is why I suggest a small thirty minute break and, if Anabel is feeling well enough by then, we can then move on to trying to separate her power from Ash's power."

"That sounds reasonable." Mr. Ketchum agreed.

Anabel felt a little shell-shocked. She had barely heard Mr. Ketchum speak as Ms. Sabrina's words had allowed her to remember her earlier anxiousness. A potent mixture of dread and panic started to curl around her heart before she felt someone touch her shoulder. She tried to plaster a smile on her face before turning around to see it was Mrs. Ketchum standing behind her and, behind Mrs. Ketchum, her friends. The look in Mrs. Ketchum's eyes told her that the woman knew her smile was fake.

"A break sounds good, doesn't it?" Mrs. Ketchum asked and Anabel nodded. The brown-haired woman smiled, "I'll be taking Anabel for a little girl's chat."

Ms. Sabrina glanced at Mrs. Ketchum for a moment along with the others, confused as to why Mrs. Ketchum had said that, before she inclined her head. Anabel realized at once that Ms. Sabrina must have read Mrs. Ketchum's mind and, agreeing with whatever she had found, had given Mrs. Ketchum her permission.

Anabel suddenly found herself disliking psychics.

XXXXXX

"Why didn't Mom want to talk to Anabel in here?" Ash wondered as he looked at the door his mom had gone through with Anabel. It was kind of sudden and strange as his mom hadn't talked about needing to talk to Anabel before now and everything seemed to be going just fine. So, what did she and Anabel need to talk about? And why couldn't his mom have talked to Anabel with them around? "We wouldn't have said anything..."

"It is kind of strange." Harry agreed.

Willow looked thoughtful, "Maybe your mom wants to talk to Anabel about something private? Something that she didn't want you guys to hear?" Her two friends turned to her with confused expressions, clearly not understanding what she had meant, and she sighed. "You did hear that Mrs. Ketchum said she wanted to have a _girl_ talk, right? Meaning no_ boys_."

"Oh." Ash said.

If that was the case, then Ash wasn't sure if he wanted to know what Anabel and his mom were talking about. He would listen if they told him about it, but he wouldn't ask. There were just some things that guys were supposed to know or talk about. And if it was important and he had to know, they would tell him. Right?

"Then why didn't Ash's mom talk you and Sabrina with her, Willow? You guys are both girls, too." Harry stated before he paused and gave Willow a thoughtful look. Willow flushed angrily, apparently knowing what Harry was thinking about, and hit him on the shoulder, "Hey! Why'd you hit me?! I didn't say anything!"

"You deserve it for thinking that." Willow said.

"Personally, I don't think you should worry about your friend." Sabrina stated as she approached the three Pokémon Trainers from behind. "Mrs. Ketchum just wants to talk to Anabel about how things have been going and how she feels about them. This whole process has been very stressful for her and, now that it's nearing its completion, she doesn't know what to feel. Mrs. Ketchum saw that and went to talk to her about it." She smiled at them reassuringly, "Don't worry about it, though; they'll be back soon."

"If you say so..."

XXXXXX

After Anabel had walked out of the "training room", Mrs. Ketchum led her to a nearby room before opening the door. Anabel walked into the room and Mrs. Ketchum turned on the lights before closing the door to give them some privacy. Anabel wondered about what was going on and what this "girl's chat" would be about.

"I noticed that you didn't look to be very happy back there, Anabel." Mrs. Ketchum began in a concerned tone. "What's the matter? Is something wrong?"

Of course. Mrs. Ketchum had seen her plastered-on smile and had known something was wrong; Mrs. Ketchum was using this "girl's chat" to ask about what was wrong with her in private. Anabel didn't really want to talk to Mrs. Ketchum about what was wrong, but she couldn't find it in herself to lie to the woman either. She couldn't lie to her. Not after all of the concern that Mrs. Ketchum had shown her.

Anabel looked down at the ground and began to rub her shoe against it, "Nothing's wrong, Mrs. Ketchum. I-I'm just... I'm just feeling kind of scared."

"I know what has happened recently has been scary, but there is no need to worry. Everyone is doing everything that they can to try and find Jessie and make sure that something like what she did won't ever happen again." Mrs. Ketchum assured. The brown-haired woman then frowned when Anabel shook her head, appearing confused. "Isn't that what you were worried about?"

While Anabel would always be a little wary (terrified) of Jigglypuff, that wasn't the reason. "No, that's not it." She admitted, "I'm just... I'm just afraid that once this is all over..." She swallowed a heavy lump in her throat and had to hold back some tears, "I'm just afraid that... that Ash won't want to be friends with me anymore. That he would want me to... want me to leave." Shaking her head, Anabel turned away. "I-I know it's stupid, that Ash isn't like that, but part of me can't help but be scared that... that it could happen. And I really don't want that to happen."

Mrs. Ketchum's eyes widened at the admission, but did nothing else. It was obvious that Anabel had held all of this in, even if only for a little while, and needed to get this out. So she kept her mouth closed and allowed Anabel to do so.

"I mean, besides Kadabra, Ash was my first friend. We went through a lot together. He stood up for me, talked to me, and actually... he actually _listened_ to me. He didn't tell me that I was wrong or that I could and should have been doing something else and—and he was just _there_." Anabel crossed her arms over her chest and breathed in, desperately trying not to cry. It didn't work. "I-I don't want that to stop. I don't want him to stop being my friend."

Truly, it didn't even matter if the things that had happened to them had happened at all. Those things had only accelerated the growth of their friendship. They could have easily built their friendship up to its current level by travelling together for a few months. There was no question of if Anabel would have stayed with Ash; he was her friend and she wanted to be with him. Not like how her parents were together, not yelling or bossing each other around, but walking through the woods and enjoying each other's company.

A part of Anabel knew that she was being silly, that Ash wouldn't care about their powers linking them together. Still, she was scared and wondered if Ash would want her to stay with him when this was over. She was scared that maybe, just maybe, he wouldn't want to be her friend anymore.

If Ash didn't want to be her friend—

The pre-teen Pokémon Trainer was startled by the feeling of Mrs. Ketchum's warm, loving arms wrapping around her midsection before pulling her close to the older woman's chests. Shocked, she looked up to see Mrs. Ketchum looking down at her with a kind though somewhat sad expression on her face. "Oh, Anabel..."

"M-Mrs. Ketchum?"

"No matter what happens, I know that Ash won't stop being your friend. He won't stop talking to you, he won't stop listening to you, and he will be there whenever he can. So don't allow yourself to ever think that he doesn't want to be your friend." Mrs. Ketchum stated in a comforting, but firm tone. "He would miss you if you ever left, as you would, and I think he would jump at the chance to see you again after you left."

"B-But—" Anabel protested.

"—Do you think that Ash would ever demand you leave him alone? Do you think he would ever stop being friends with someone he liked and enjoyed being around?" Mrs. Ketchum interrupted like a cold-hearted politician assassin, tearing through enemy objections like one would rip through tissue paper and leaving them to gape. "Do you?"

Anabel opened her mouth to respond that maybe, just maybe, Ash might do those things but couldn't force the words past the lump in her throat. Forcing someone to leave when they didn't want to wasn't something that Ash would do. In some situations, he would demand that people left but those people were usually people who antagonized him or those he considered his friends or family—like Jessie and James. And Ash also wasn't someone to stop being friends with people he knew and liked.

"... No." Anabel finally admitted. "Ash wouldn't do that."

Mrs. Ketchum smiled, "You see? Ash will still be your friend and he won't force you to leave? So what do you have to worry about, hm? Worry about your powers being separated? Well, that will just allow you two to go further away from each other than you have been in the past few weeks. To find a separate area to train your Pokémon Team in, to find another bathroom if the one you're using is full, and to go shopping for things you don't want Ash to know about."

Cheeks turning an interesting shade of pink, Anabel turned away from Mrs. Ketchum who chuckled at her back. Despite that, however, Anabel began to feel a little better. Mrs. Ketchum was right; there really wasn't anything to worry about. Ash wouldn't force her to leave if she didn't want to leave. And, more importantly, he would still continue to be her friend.

Things might have been changing, but that didn't mean it was a bad thing.

"I think I get it." Anabel said as she turned around and smiled, "Thank you for helping me, Mrs. Ketchum."

"No problem, dear. I couldn't let one of my son's friends be sad, now could I?" Mrs. Ketchum stated before the two girls began to walk out of the room, "Speaking of which, I feel the need to ask you about how he acted during your travels together through Mt. Moon and Cerulean City... Did he change into a fresh pair of clothes every day?"

Anabel began to smile.

XXXXXX

It took ten minutes before his mom and Anabel finally returned back to the training room together. Ash had been getting a little anxious about how they were doing and what they were talking about, remembering what Sabrina had told them. His concern for his friend grew when he saw that Anabel's eyes were a little red and puffy but held himself back from questioning her when he saw she was smiling.

Seeing her second-favorite person walk into the room while her first was distracted, Eevee quickly abandoned her position near Ash's legs and rushed to Anabel. The Normal-Type Pokémon hit Anabel's legs in a rush and chattered until Anabel picked her up. Eevee turned and then started to lick Anabel's face.

Anabel laughed and Ash finally started to relax. Still, he had to ask. "Is everything okay, Anabel?"

"Everything is fine." Anabel said after readjusted Eevee in her arms to get more comfortable. Anabel looked down at Eevee, "I just needed to talk to someone for a little bit. Mrs. Ketchum really helped and, really, it's nothing to worry about."

Ash hesitated for a moment, wondering if he should ask what they were talking about, but decided not to. If Anabel said that everything was alright and that it was nothing to worry about, he should and would believe her. What she talked about was her business and if she wanted to talk about it, she would. He was just relieved that everything was okay and that his mom had been able to talk to his friend and help her out.

"Can you guys get on with it? I want to see what happens next." Harry complained impatiently, tapping his foot against the ground. Willow whacked his head a moment later and he recoiled, muttering about getting hit for no reason and how "un-hot" it was. "I just wanted to know since that whole test earlier was boring."

Anabel probably wouldn't have agreed with that, but to outside observers it had been a little boring. They had been slowly called into the room one-by-one to see Anabel sitting on the floor with her eyes closed. Sabrina would wait for a few minutes and then call someone else in until she had determined that Anabel had passed the test. The Gym Leader had then told Anabel to open her eyes and everything was over. Like Harry had said; it was a little boring.

Harry, though, seemed to be expecting something more. This was the first time that he had met people with special powers use their powers and he probably thought that it could be something he could see. Too bad that only some psychic abilities could be seen and empathy couldn't be seen at all. He didn't even include his own power because 1) he hardly believed he even possessed one and 2) he didn't know if it would be visible, but doubted it.

"That depends on if Anabel and Ash are ready to progress, Mr. Cinn." Sabrina answered as she turned to look at the two aforementioned pre-teens. "Are you two feeling ready? If not, we can take another break until you both feel ready to attempt this."

"I'm ready." Anabel said.

Ash nodded, "Me too."

Sabrina inclined her head. "Very well." She directed Ash and Anabel to sit close together after handing over the Pokémon they were carrying to Mr. and Mrs. Ketchum before having them settle into loose meditative positions. She then had them connect hands and close their eyes. "I will open the connection between your minds and create a "mindscape" from which you will see the mental representations of your powers. I will join you there and, together, we shall try to separate your powers."

"Okay."

Moments after he and Anabel had said that, Ash began to feel the weirdest sensation. It felt like, somehow, a pitcher of cold water was being poured over his brain. Following this weird sensation came a faint tingling behind his eyes and an increase of pressure around his brain. He shifted a little in his discomfort, but that motion seemed to trigger something. He began to feel like he was falling and, opening his eyes, all he could see was darkness.

'_What's going_—_?!'_ Ash wasn't even able to finish his thought as he felt the pressure over his mind increase before feeling himself being yanked forward. '_I don't—' _He slammed against something else and they both recoiled, falling backwards. A spec of white brightness formed in-between him and whatever he had hit and then began to quickly expand towards them. _'What is that?!'_

Everything went white.

Ash opened his eyes a couple seconds after closing him, disoriented and confused, to find himself in a completely different place. He was sitting down on an expansive, bone-white landmass with a light-gray colored sky hanging above him. A moment passed before he felt a pulse and saw something translucent and blue flow off of his body and into the distance. He followed it with his eyes and watched confusedly as the blue something washed over multiple previously-invisible hooks in the ground.

"Are you okay?"

Looking up, Ash saw Anabel sitting down a fair distance away from him. She was surrounded by a translucent ring with small holes in it while, around the ring, was a multitude of colors he could barely see. It took him a moment to understand what he was seeing—emotions—before realizing that the pulsing blue _something_ must have been his powers. And, based on that, it meant that those hooks were a representation of Anabel's mind's attachment to his power.

He then belatedly realized that Anabel had asked him a question. "Oh, sorry." He said, "I'm just feeling a little dizzy..."

"That is to be expected; this is, after all, the first time you have had a psychic do anything other than a surface scan of your thoughts." Sabrina stated as she faded into view in-between the black-haired boy and his purple-haired friend. She looked at him for a moment or, more specifically, at his power.

"Oh." That would explain why his brain had felt like water was being poured over it; that "water" was Sabrina's own power/energy. Everything that had happened afterwards was probably a result of whatever she had done. "You said you would create a mindscape..." He looked around at his surroundings again, "Is this it?"

Sabrina nodded. "Yes, it is." She took a moment to look around herself before looking back at the two pre-teens. "Now that we have appeared here, however, the true work for us will begin. Have you seen those hooks?" She pointed towards the hooks just as another blue wave washed over and revealed them once again. "Or the holes in Anabel's mental defenses?" Once again, she pointed out the things she had mentioned before drawing attention to herself. "Those two things are connected."

As if to elaborate on what Sabrina was saying, another wave pulsed outwards from Ash's body and across the mindscape. It seemed stronger than before, though, as it clearly revealed the hooks as washed over them. It also allowed them to see the lengths of material tied to the ends of the hooks, growing increasingly small as it went backwards until the material was able to fit through the holes in Anabel's shields. And then, once past the shields, the material connected to her body.

"Whoa."

"Those hooks are the mental representation of the connection between your powers. It is through them that your subconscious mind ensured your safety by creating these hooks and then hiding underneath itself underneath Ash's field. In a way, your mind was trying to create a mental barrier to protect itself from harm." Sabrina directed towards Anabel before she frowned. "It is dangerous, however, as you admitted that you had no idea when this connection formed and, if you had ever gone far enough away from each other, the connection would snap."

There was no need to tell them about the consequences of that; she had already done that before. Both Ash and Anabel knew that the breakage would've stunned Anabel before she would've faced an onslaught of emotions that Ash's field had been somehow protecting her from. Anabel most likely would've been caught within a flood of emotions that she couldn't escape from, gone insane, or have even been killed by the feedback. What effect the break would have caused Ash was unknown as the nature of his powers themselves, but it was believed that it would have been lesser than what would've happened to Anabel.

So it was really good that they didn't have to worry about any of that happening anymore.

"How are we supposed to remove them? Ash asked.

"To remove them, you both will have to simply grab onto them and pull them out. The hooks will naturally snap back towards Anabel and could cause a momentary sense of discomfort when they "hit", but your mental barriers should protect you from any emotional backlash." Sabrina answered before, seeing Anabel nod, turned her attention to Ash. "You will probably experience a small lifting feeling as the hooks are removed."

"... Okay." Ash had honestly been expecting something much more difficult or hard to do, but he wouldn't complain. The process sounded relatively easy and, really, if Sabrina didn't think they were capable of doing the job she wouldn't have had them try. "Let's do it."

Anabel nodded in agreement and stood up to join him, expression firm and a little eager. The two Pokémon Trainers locked resolute gazes and, just as another wave pulsed outwards from Ash's body, they began walking to the closest hook. They reached it together just as the second blue wave passed over it. Anabel took a deep breath and Ash gave her an encouraging smile.

Together, they leaned down to grab a hold of the first hook and _pulled_.

* * *

Ash's Pokémon Team:

Eevee (Female): Level 29.  
Attacks: Tackle (Normal), Sand Attack (Normal), Scratch (Normal), Tail-Whip (Normal), Helping Hand (Normal), Growl (Normal), Bite (Dark), Charm (Normal), Quick Attack (Normal), Covet (Normal), Take Down (Normal), and Quick Swim (Normal).

Pidgeotto (Male): Level 25.  
Attacks: Sand Attack (Ground), Tackle (Normal), Gust (Flying), Peck (Flying), Quick Attack (Normal), Whirlwind (Flying), and Twister (Dragon).

Rattata (Male): Level 24. "  
Attacks: Bite (Dark), Tackle (Normal), Quick Attack (Normal), Crunch (Dark), Hyper Fang (Normal), Scratch (Normal), Pursuit (Dark), Quick Swim (Normal), and Sucker Punch (Dark).

Beedrill (Male): Level 23.  
Attacks: String-Shot (Bug), Poison-Sting (Poison), Bug-Bite (Bug), Fury Attack (Normal), Pursuit (Dark,) Twineedle (Bug), and Rage (Normal).

Clefairy (Female): Level 20.  
Attacks: Sing (Normal), Pound (Normal), Encore (Normal), Metronome (Normal), DoubleSlap (Normal), Defense Curl (Normal), Follow Me (Normal), and Bestow (Normal).

Paras (Male): Level 22.  
Attacks: PoisonPowder (Poison), Stun Spore (Grass), Sleep Powder (Grass), Spore (Grass), Leech Life (Bug), and Fury Cutter (Bug).

* * *

Anabel's Pokémon Team:

Kadabra (Male): Level 27.  
Attacks: Teleport (Psychic), Psyshock (Psychic), Confusion (Psychic), Psychic (Psychic), Disable (Normal), Miracle Eye (Psychic), and Ally Switch (Psychic).

Butterfree (Female): Level 23.  
Attacks: Confusion (Psychic), Poisonpowder (Poison), Stun Spore (Grass), Harden (Bug), Sleep Powder (Grass), String Shot (Bug), Gust (Flying), and Supersonic (Normal).

* * *

**A/N: Author's Note:** I know that this was another filler chapter, but it was needed. I had to destroy the power/mind-link between Ash and Anabel so that I could continue on with the story and get them out of Saffron City. It was annoying because it just didn't want to be written and, well, it took a long time because Anabel needed time to train. Anabel is also a very insecure person who will continue to believe something until someone corrects her (though it doesn't mean she won't still have doubts about her relationship with Ash in the future).

In the next chapter, we get a glimpse at what Team Rocket is up too, President Wilson making his announcement, the reactions to it, and the separation of the people as they go on their different ways. Off to new cities, towns, and roads filled with new Pokémon, roaming Pokémon Trainers, Team Rocket plots, and a continuing adventure!

On a more personal note, I think I'm going to need your guys' help. I made a Worldbuilding Forum to help me (and you guys) out in writing this story... but I can't do it alone. My autistic brain cannot handle it and produce the quality of work that you guys want and I believe you deserve. So please, if you can, stop by the forum (link on my profile) or just offer tips to help me out in your reviews.

Thank you.


	31. Chapter 31:

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

* * *

Legend:

"Someone is talking."  
'_Someone is thinking.'  
_"A technique/ability."

* * *

Chapter 31:

* * *

(Kanto—Saffron City—Outside of City Hall)

"Today I stand here to address you, the people, about the tragic events that were set in motion by a formerly unknown terrorist group calling itself "Team Rocket". On July 14th they attacked without any warning, without any reason, and laid siege to this fair city. Countless lives were lost, hundreds more injured or missing, and countless more affected by this tragedy." President Wilson spoke solemnly before his expression firmed. "We will _not_ allow something like this to happen again.

"Team Rocket was a group that, before, we had no knowledge of nor any idea of its strength. We had no idea of their tactics or their ideals... Now we know. We know that they exist, that they have poisoned and twisted the hearts of the people so that they could join them in their quest, and we know that they have no care for the immense and irreparable damage they inflict. They only care about themselves and the fear that they can instill within our hearts and minds." The President paused to take a single, deep breath before slamming his hand against his podium. "_I will not stand for it!_"

When President Wilson had been informed of the attack within his office at Dartmouth, he had been dismayed and slightly disbelieving. That disbelief had faded in the face of numerous reports that had come streaming in as news leaked out, flooding his mind with countless facts about what had happened. And then, when he had left Dartmouth for Saffron City and he had seen what had happened, anger began to fill his heart.

"This terrorist organization will be tracked down and their leaders brought to face justice. They may have gathered strength within the shadows, but now that they have come out into the open they will learn that Kanto does not tolerate people like them. We will not _rest_ until their organization has been broken and they are finally held accountable for their crimes." President Wilson stated passionately.

Following that declaration, the President had to stop as the crowd erupted with sound. He could distinguish nothing from the sudden wall of noise aside from the obvious approval on the people's faces and how hard they were cheering. He had to squint a little to protect his eyes, though, as numerous photographers took their chance and numerous flashes temporarily blinded him.

President Wilson waited until the flashes and sound died down before he continued. "To accomplish this, I have assembled a task force to lead the search for Team Rocket. I have also arranged for an increased protection of travelling people and the people within our cities."

The President would not be talking about the task force except to mention that it existed. The reason was that, while reassuring the public that they were searching for Team Rocket was good, it was also bad. Team Rocket would also know of it and begin making steps to counteract them. Still, an organization as large as Team Rocket couldn't conceal its movements for too long. Especially considering that Agatha was the one who would lead the task force to hunt them down.

President Wilson had also arranged for troops from Kanto's national army to patrol the roads and discourage Team Rocket from attacking travelers. It wouldn't help people in the denser, less travelled areas within the country but it would hopefully keep people from being attacked five miles outside of a city. If he could convince the head of the Pokémon Ranger Guild to help, he could also hopefully reduce the risk even more and offer a small protection for those going through those aforementioned areas. The protection of the cities themselves would be left to a combination of the local Gym Leader's assistance, the police, and the regiment of troops stationed there.

"I would still suggest, however, that people start travelling in groups and be vigilant of their surroundings. Until Team Rocket has been found and brought to justice, it is still a terrorist organization that will attack anyone that they can in order to inspire fear. Don't give them the chance." President Wilson stated firmly. "Most importantly; remember that they will not get away with this."

With that bold statement, the president ended his speech just as the crowd erupted into cheerful applause and hundreds of questions. He directed their inquiring gaze to tomorrow's paper (as he didn't have the time to address each question personally) and then excused himself.

XXXXXX

(Meanwhile)

Watching President Wilson's speech from a television within a small lounging area were four people of interest. Each of them wore identical outfits—long-sleeved white shirts with black undershirts, white slacks, and white sneakers/boots—with the only differences between them being their physical builds and their unique hair and eye colors. There was the blue-haired Archer, the redheaded Ariana, the purple-haired Petrol, and the green-haired Proton.

Why were they so important? Well, if one looked they would see a small Team Rocket crest on their shirts. That, combined with their names and appearance, would lead any Team Rocket Grunt to cower. For those four were no ordinary members of Team Rocket. No, they just happened to be the "Four Generals"; the Boss' go-to team whose power and rank within their organization were only dwarfed by the Boss himself.

"I wonder who will be leading this task force against us." Ariana wondered aloud, appearing thoughtful. "Wilson knows of us now and has seen a measure of our strength; he wouldn't assign the leadership of this task force to anyone he didn't think couldn't handle us."

"There are a few potential candidates that he could choose. He could have appointed a person from the army, a well-known Gym Leader, or even have asked Elite Four if one of them would be willing to head this task force." Archer replied.

At the mention of the Elite Four, the other three Generals frowned. That group was composed out of four of the most powerful and intelligent Pokémon Trainers within the Pokémon Association. They weren't directly affiliated with Kanto's national army, but they were stronger than a lot of people within the army; so much so that people considered them to be the strongest four people in the country. The types of Pokémon they each favored were nothing to sneeze at either; if one of them got involved in this, things could get bad.

"Even if one of the Elite Four were to get involved in this, they wouldn't be able to find us." Proton said after a moment. "They may be strong, but the Boss has planned ahead well and we've made sure to cover our tracks. There may have been a few slip-ups in the past though that doesn't mean that the Elite Four would be able to use them to find us."

"Suppose one of them appeared during the middle of one of the upcoming operations? What would we do then? Their presence could seriously derail or distract us long enough for our targets to find a way to escape. Finding the targets after that happened would be difficult and they would know that they were being hunted." Ariana asked.

"That's suggesting that they even find out what we're after, Ariana." Archer frowned.

Proton looked up, "You don't think they could figure it out?"

"Nobody will find out what we are up to until it's too late." Each member of the Four Generals froze at the sound of their boss' cold, menacing voice before turning around to see that he had entered the room without them having noticed. It was a tribute to the Boss' skills and very, very, terrifying. Who knew what he could have heard? "Even if they could, we won't be giving them a chance to piece together our true goal in time to stop us."

"So you mean...?"

"Yes."

XXXXXX

(Saffron City—Pokémon Center—Cafeteria)

Ash Ketchum could currently be founded feeding a freshly changed Deoxys from a bottle while his Pokémon ate behind him. He saw his friends up near the food lines and, seeing Anabel turn to look at him, smiled. She smiled back before turning around to score a spoonful of scrambled eggs and moving on.

Even though that connection between them had been broken, they had never felt better.

The process in itself had made them so exhausted that they had barely made it back to the Pokémon Center before falling asleep. They slept for a total of twelve hours and woke up in the morning, having forgotten what happened and why everyone was relieved to see them awake. They had been informed and, afterwards, their surprise melted away into a light, happy feeling. _They did it_. It had taken a while, but _they had done it._

It still had taken a little while to get used to the changes and they still found themselves sticking together... but they didn't have to be. The warning tingle that signaled whenever they were getting too far apart from one another had vanished completely. Sometimes in the early mornings, they found themselves going in separate directions (Anabel to the bathroom and Ash to the cafeteria) before belatedly realizing that they weren't going somewhere together. That they had gone farther from the other than they had ever gone before and _it was okay_.

"Have you eaten already?" Anabel asked as she placed her tray down on the table and sat down. Turning around, one would see her two newly-released Pokémon had joined Ash's and were now enjoying their own breakfasts.

Ash nodded, "Yeah. I came down earlier because Deoxys and I were hungry. Deoxys took a nap and woke up a little hungry a while ago." Ash didn't mention how he had to clean up Deoxys' spit-up or how Eevee had laughed. Or how he had had to change Deoxys and how the smell had caused Eevee to flee, yipping in terror. That stuff was gross and stuff he didn't want to mention, even to someone who had become as used to it as he had. "Did you sleep good?"

"I—"

"—I slept really good!" Harry interrupted as he plopped down on the bench to the next of Anabel. "I dreamt of all of the super-hot matches I would have and all of the hot Pokémon that I'm gonna catch. Thanks for asking!"

"I asked Anabel. Not, you Harry." Ash said.

"Oh. Well..." Harry paused, having not expected that and not knowing what to say in the face of it. "Well... You were going to ask me that anyway! I just answered you before you did to save you the trouble of asking!" Without waiting for a response, he turned to his bench-mate. "How did you sleep?"

"I had a good dream." Anabel admitted with a small smile.

"... You're not even going to tell your hot friends about it? Why? I told you about my dream! And we _are_ friends, right Anabel?" Here Anabel nodded which caused Harry to start pretending that he was sad. "Then why won't you tell me about your dream?"

"Well, I guess I could tell you about it." Which Anabel would rather not do. Her dream was kind of personal and, well, would be boring to others. It was just her simply travelling with Ash, meeting new people and catching Pokémon. Harry made an eager, nodding motion but still Anabel hesitated. "If you really want to know..."

Ash held up Deoxys towards Harry's face. "I will make Deoxys spit-up on you unless you stop, Harry."

One look at the cute, happy Baby Pokémon caused memories of its horrible stench and imagined horrors of what 'spit-up' was made Harry quickly back down and apologize to Anabel. Ash readjusted Deoxys to get her into a more comfortable position, smiling. Who knew that Harry's weakness was harmless Baby Pokémon?

"... That was so not hot." Harry complained as he began to eat.

Nobody said anything after that and the conversation between the three of them lulled into a slightly awkward, though peaceful silence. There was still plenty of noise in the cafeteria, however, as the sounds of people and Pokémon eating and talking to one another in anxious, relieved, or fearful whispers. It wasn't that much different than any other day since Team Rocket's attack on the city. Then again, those whispers weren't deriding, second-guessing, or defending what the President was going to do in response to Team Rocket.

Ash himself thought that President Wilson was doing okay, but it sucked that it would take a while before Team Rocket was brought down. He understood that taking on a group as apparently powerful as Team Rocket was dangerous (and had experienced that himself when Jessie went after him and Anabel) but wished it could be over. No one would have to worry. And people could go back to what they were doing.

"What are you guys going to do now?" Willow finally asked.

That was the question, wasn't it? He still dreamed of defeating six more Gym Leaders and entering the Pokémon League, of achieving the coveted Pokémon Master status, but it seemed a bit silly now. How was he supposed to focus on that stuff when Jessie was after him and Anabel? When a group like Team Rocket had surfaced and was probably preparing to do something worse than they had done to Saffron City?

"Mom and Dad think Anabel and I should use Sabrina's Teleport Transport to go somewhere else." So that Jessie would have a harder time of finding them. Teleporting somewhere couldn't really be traced and, if used properly, could take them far away while the police looked to find and apprehend Jessie. "I don't know, though..."

"It sounds like a good plan." Willow said.

Harry decided to add in his own two cents. "I would say that you should stay and fight... but Team Rocket isn't any joke. Jessie might call on some help to get to you guys if you stay here. And leaving from here would only allow them to get to you easier. So using Teleport to go somewhere else is a hot idea." The others turned to look at him with varying stages of shock and/or surprise and Harry frowned. "What?"

"Nothing."

"Why doesn't anyone want to tell me anything today?" Harry crossed his arms and turned away, irritated. "... I was just saying that it was a good idea that you guys Teleport. It may seem like it's something someone scared would do, but it's not. You're just going to go somewhere and train until you can beat Jessie yourselves."

Harry actually made a good point. They weren't really going to run away—they were just going somewhere to continue their training. If doing that allowed their parents to relax and focus on other things while the police worked to try and find Jessie, it was great. Better than great, actually.

"That's a good look on things." Anabel said thoughtfully.

"If we go, do you want to come with us?" Ash asked. It was only fair that he offered his other friends the same chance. Plus, President Wilson had mentioned that Team Rocket had been attacking travelers on the roads. If Willow and Harry came with them, it would keep them safe and allow them to train too. "I'm sure that Sabrina and the others wouldn't mind if you did."

"Can't do anything "stressful" until the doctors look me over again." Harry made a vague gesture towards his chest before looking up. "Besides, how can we have an awesomely scorching battle if we train in the same place? We'd know all about each other's moves and then it'd become boring."

"Alright."

Willow adopted an apologetic expression, "I don't think I can come with you guys either. Not that I don't want too, but I don't know where you'll be going. And with what's happened... I think it would be better if I stayed with Harry and made sure that he doesn't do anything his doctors don't want him too."

"I haven't been doing anything they said not to!" Harry's protest went largely ignored.

"Oh."

So, they would be separating again. Ash could have guessed, but he hadn't thought that Harry and Willow couldn't (or wouldn't) go with him and Anabel. He understood their reasons and Willow was right in wanting to go with Harry to make sure he was safe... but, he selfishly didn't want them to go. At least, not so soon.

"Why don't we go do something?" Anabel suggested, "Something fun?"

"That sounds like a great idea."

Following Anabel's suggestion of "doing something fun", the group then left the Pokémon Center. They went through a couple of different, rebuilt, stores and had shared a few laughs at the different items up for sale and their friends' reactions to them. Tired, they rested on some nearby benches for a couple of moments.

"Why don't we get our pictures taken?" Ash asked as he pointed out towards a nearby shop. "It should be fun, right?"

Willow and Anabel nodded their agreement though Harry, not seeing how fun getting a picture could be, had to be convinced by the others to go. Once they had convinced him, they got him out of his seat and quickly walked towards the shop, _Photographer's Delight_, and entered it before he could change his mind. An elderly man greeted them from behind a counter and then, after hearing what they wanted, offered his own opinion but agreed to take their picture.

Minutes later, the group would be found standing on a small platform with a sky-themed backdrop behind them. They were each holding a small Pokémon; Ash was holding Deoxys, Anabel was holding Butterfree, Willow was holding her Bulbasaur, and Harry was holding his Magby. The rest of the group's Pokémon surrounded them, filling up the weird "empty space" that the photographer had talked about.

"Say "cheese"!" The photographer said.

"Cheese!"

Shortly afterwards, the group left the Pokémon Center for the last time and began to wander the streets. They spent thirty minutes window-shopping (and not really buying anything) before Willow spotted a photo store. They went in and, ten minutes later, came out with their own copies of the photograph. And it may not have seemed like much, but the picture made them smile and allowed split up with the promise to see the others again.

XXXXXX

(Meanwhile—Kanto—Team Rocket Base)

At the moment, Jessie could be found thinking about everything that had happened recently. She had been assigned a watcher, raided the Hidden Village, and participated in one of the biggest operations that Team Rocket had ever gone through with. Not only that, she had managed to get rid of her watcher by setting up Pierce for his defeat and subsequent capture.

It hadn't been that hard. Like a lot of people within Team Rocket, Pierce believed himself to be better than everyone else. It was something that could be easily used against him as she did. Making him believe that he was in charge and that he should order their small infiltration force to separate had been difficult, not to mention time-consuming, but she needed Pierce to go away. And he had.

Now he was gone and she was moving up within their organization. It would only be a matter of time before she would get back to her former position. From there, she would reunite with James and Meowth and show everyone why they were such a good team. No one would dare mess with them and, if they were stupid enough to try, they would be put down. _'_

_Which reminds me...'_ Jessie thought. _'The twerps.'_

Those two children, against all odds, had become a major thorn in her side. They had caused the failure of two important missions and the separation of her team. Before she assumed her former position, she would have to make examples of them. To show them why messing with Team Rocket, with her, was a horrible idea. It would be difficult with them as protected as they were, but the twerps couldn't stay within Saffron City forever.

Sooner or later, they would have to come out. And when they did, she would be there. There would be no last minute rescues; she would crush them before they even had a chance to defend themselves and take their Pokémon. It didn't seem enough, but using the twerp's Pokémon to inflict emotional distress upon his mother and then crush her? The thought pleased her. It would take a while, but she would have her revenge.

XXXXXX

After they had said goodbye to Willow and Harry, Ash and Anabel started off in direction of the Pokémon Gym. They were going to be a little late as it was, but everything should be okay. Sabrina would probably be talking to Ash's parents on what was going to happen; where the younger Pokémon Trainers were going to be sent, what they would do to ensure their safety, and etc. The adults probably wouldn't even notice they were late and, if they did, it would be easy to explain why they had been late.

The reminder brought to Ash's attention that, like Harry and Willow, he might also have to say goodbye to his parents. Looking towards at building that was Saffron City's Pokémon Gym, Ash wished that he wouldn't have too. It seemed too sudden and, together with everything else, made him feel as if things were happening too quickly.

As if to prove that point, Ash and Anabel caught sight of Ash's parents walking in from the hallway as they walked into the Pokémon Gym. A soft hand touched Ash's shoulder. He turned to see Anabel looking at him with an understanding, slightly sad expression. He didn't get a chance to ask what was wrong before Anabel gently pushed him forward and then stepped back. His parents choose that moment to spot and call him over, making him spare one last, wondering glance at his friend and then quickly hurry over to them.

"Where's Anabel?" Delia asked.

Ash looked back again, but his friend seemed to have vanished. "I think she had to do something." He answered uncertainly. "She came in with me and I thought she was coming with me... but she must've gone somewhere else..."

"I'm sure that she'll turn up soon, honey." Delia replied after sharing a quick look with her husband. It was very unusual for Anabel to voluntarily separate from Ash, but she knew that going off on her own wasn't a good idea. And people would've noticed her leaving. So she must still be in the lobby or in a room nearby. The reason was why? Was she still feeling a little shy after their talk the other day?

'_... Could it be that she sensed our emotions?'_ Jonathan wondered. It would explain why Anabel hadn't accompanied Ash to meet them; she could be separating herself to give them to talk to Ash privately. To say goodbye to their son without making her feel like a third wheel. _'Thank you.'_ He thought towards the girl before he put a hand on his son's shoulder. "Your mom is right. Anabel probably just went to go use the bathroom or something."

"If you say so..." Ash said.

The adults didn't say anything in response, so the matter was dropped as they left the lobby. Anabel watched them go from behind a potted plant before stepping back into view. It wasn't her intention to worry Mr. and Mrs. Ketchum, but they were feeling the same way she knew Ash was. They needed time to talk about their feelings to one another. It was a little sad that she couldn't go and support her friend, but she understood.

If her parents were like Mr. and Mrs. Ketchum and she had to say goodbye to them, she would want her privacy too.

XXXXXX

Soon after they had left the lobby, Ash was led into a small, simply furnished room on the second floor. His parents told him that Sabrina would be meeting them here later, after she finished with some of her other duties and Anabel reappeared. From there, Sabrina would telepathically instruct Anabel's Kadabra on where they were to Teleport to and they would go through with it. That time, however, wasn't going to happen for a while.

"We'll miss you, honey." Delia admitted before moving to embrace her son. She really didn't want to let Ash and Anabel go through with this, but who would? It felt too soon and part of her worried that they were all making soon kind of mistake. Another part of her argued that, by doing this, she would ensure that the children remained safe and out of harm's reach. "I'll miss you so very much."

"I'll miss you guys too." Ash murmured. He pretended that he didn't hear the crack in his voice, the way his chest had tightened, but greatly enjoyed it when his mom pulled him closer. He knew it was childish, that he was supposed to be becoming an independent Pokémon Trainer, but at this moment he didn't want to do anything besides stay here. Stay with them. "Why can't you come with us?"

This time it was Jonathan who spoke. "I know that it's sad having to say goodbye again, but you and Anabel have to get away. We can't come with you because we need to make sure that that woman can't find you two." He paused to take a deep breath, "If we knew that she wouldn't be able to find you, we wouldn't hesitate to come with you. But we can't, so we have to stay. As your parents, we _have_ to make sure that you'll be okay."

Ash nodded into his mom's shoulder, unable to speak past the lump in his throat. Ever since they had arrived in Saffron City, they had been there to help him and Anabel through it, helping them and doing their best to protect them. So this... this was just another way of them trying to protect him and Anabel, even if they wouldn't see each other for a while. "I—I know.."

"I know that you can do this, Ash." Jonathan said. "You're strong and very talented—who else could have created a new Pokémon Move? Who else besides you could be lucky enough to have a Pokémon Team that absolutely adores you or have discovered a new species of Pokémon?" He took another breath. "What I'm saying is that you can do this and have been doing great even before we arrived. And we'll see each other as soon as this whole thing is over. You can count on that."

"Alright..."

XXXXXX

Those who had been teleported by a Pokémon would describe the sensation as "becoming somehow lighter" and were then "lifted off their feet and squeezed through a long, rubber tube". It was a very disorienting and made those unaccustomed to it a bit nauseous but, thankfully, the process didn't last more than a couple seconds. Still, landing in a completely different area after being teleported often caused those unused to it to stumble or lose their balance and fall.

It was for that reason that Ash lost his balance and fell onto his back. It was lucky that he hadn't landed on his stomach as, if he had, he would've unintentionally used Deoxys to soften his fall. He was grateful for that but also a bit annoyed that Eevee had chosen to "abandon ship" when he had begun to fall over. He also sort-of envied Anabel for managing to stay on her feet, but she was more used to Teleport than he was.

All of those feelings, however, vanished when Deoxys began to cry. His attention immediately turned to her as he got to his knees, beginning to try and calm the Baby Pokémon down. Sabrina had told them that the Teleport wouldn't do any damage to Deoxys, but that it being her first would disorient and make her feel uncomfortable.

"Shush, it's okay... Don't cry. You're okay, Deoxys. You're okay..."

Slowly, Deoxys began to calm down and her cries died down as she was reassured of her safety. The Baby Pokémon looked up at Ash for a moment and made a gurgling sound, breathed out, and relaxed. Within the next few moments she would fall into a well-deserved, restful sleep and forget about what happened.

Ash took that moment to look up at Eevee—who had been pawing his legs to try and get his attention—and stopped at the sight. He hadn't really known anything about where they were going to Teleport too. And he hadn't really noticed anything other than it had a soft ground/floor when they had Teleported to it. So you could excuse his shock at finally looking up and noticing just where they were.

They were standing (or kneeling in Ash's case) near a sidewalk that overlooked an expanse of soft, peach-colored sand bordered by a sparkling sea. Dozens, if not hundreds, of people and multiple different species of Pokémon could be seen lounging on the beach or swimming, happily enjoying another sunny day. It was as if the people here had never heard of (or didn't care about) Team Rocker and what had happened back in Saffron City.

"Do you know where we are?" Ash turned to Anabel and asked.

Anabel shook her head, "I don't remember going to somewhere like this before. The closest place I can imagine we'd be in would be Krabby Beach, but it's too hot to be Cerulean City..." The sea made her think of the ocean, but she was having a bit of difficulty remembering the names of the islands within Kanto. "I think... I think we might be in—"

"—I didn't think you'd two get here so early." A wizened voice said from behind the two Pokémon Trainers. "But I should've at least guessed that you'd turn up so soon... Sabrina was always one to get things done as quickly and efficiently as she possibly could."

Immediately, Ash and Anabel turned around to face the newcomer. By doing so, they came face-to-face with an old, pale-skinned male with a long white mustache. He was wearing a long, red-sleeved shirt underneath a white vest, a pair of light-brown slacks held together with a black belt, black shoes, and a white hat with a red stripe. His eyes were covered with rounded sunglasses and, in his hands, was a cane that vaguely resembled a question mark.

This was the person who was supposed to meet them? "Who are you?"

"I was hoping you'd ask that. You see... I am known by many names!" The man got into an odd pose with his cane, pointing it towards them like a knight would point his sword towards an enemy. "People call me the "Hot-Headed Quiz Master", the "Master of Riddles", and the "Hottest Gym Leader" (at least when I was younger)! But you, my little friends, can just call me Blaine."

* * *

Ash's Pokémon Team:

Eevee (Female): Level 29.  
Attacks: Tackle (Normal), Sand Attack (Normal), Scratch (Normal), Tail-Whip (Normal), Helping Hand (Normal), Growl (Normal), Bite (Dark), Charm (Normal), Quick Attack (Normal), Covet (Normal), Take Down (Normal), and Quick Swim (Normal).

Pidgeotto (Male): Level 25.  
Attacks: Sand Attack (Ground), Tackle (Normal), Gust (Flying), Peck (Flying), Quick Attack (Normal), Whirlwind (Flying), and Twister (Dragon).

Rattata (Male): Level 24.  
Attacks: Bite (Dark), Tackle (Normal), Quick Attack (Normal), Crunch (Dark), Hyper Fang (Normal), Scratch (Normal), Pursuit (Dark), Quick Swim (Normal), and Sucker Punch (Dark).

Beedrill (Male): Level 23.  
Attacks: String-Shot (Bug), Poison-Sting (Poison), Bug-Bite (Bug), Fury Attack (Normal), Pursuit (Dark,) Twineedle (Bug), and Rage (Normal).

Clefairy (Female): Level 20.  
Attacks: Sing (Normal), Pound (Normal), Encore (Normal), Metronome (Normal), DoubleSlap (Normal), Defense Curl (Normal), Follow Me (Normal), and Bestow (Normal).

Paras (Male): Level 22.  
Attacks: PoisonPowder (Poison), Stun Spore (Grass), Sleep Powder (Grass), Spore (Grass), Leech Life (Bug), and Fury Cutter (Bug).

* * *

Anabel's Pokémon Team:

Kadabra (Male): Level 27.  
Attacks: Teleport (Psychic), Psyshock (Psychic), Confusion (Psychic), Psychic (Psychic), Disable (Normal), Miracle Eye (Psychic), and Ally Switch (Psychic).

Butterfree (Female): Level 23.  
Attacks: Confusion (Psychic), Poisonpowder (Poison), Stun Spore (Grass), Harden (Bug), Sleep Powder (Grass), String Shot (Bug), Gust (Flying), and Supersonic (Normal).

* * *

**A/N; Author's Note: **Another transitional chapter, but one moving towards the beginning of the next arc (which will be in the next chapter). As you can see, however, a lot of things have been set in motion; Kanto's government responding to Team Rocket's threat, Team Rocket's Admins/Executives meeting and thinking about the threat to their organization, Jessie thinking of getting revenge, the "goodbyes", and the arrival to Cinnabar Island.

Now, the coming arcs will include locations or people that the games/anime don't have. Such as President Wilson, the vice president, members of a national military, random civilians, and a few new towns. If you want to help out in this worldbuilding (or want to get a head's up to familiarize yourself with the material) go to my forum (The Workshop) and take a peek. Other than that, tell me your comments and concerns (in the form of reviews or PMs) and have a _great_ week~!


	32. Chapter 32:

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

* * *

Legend:

"Someone is talking."  
'_Someone is thinking.'  
_"A technique/ability."

* * *

Chapter 32:

* * *

(Kanto—Cinnabar Island—Carmine Way)

At the moment, Ash Ketchum and Anabel White could be found following Blaine down Carmine Way. Their eyes constantly wandered to the various food stands, small restaurants, surfboard and other beach equipment rental shops and the mob of people rushing to the nearby beach. It was a stark difference to Saffron City though the amount of people walking about was similar.

It was no wonder, really.

Cinnabar Island was a popular tourist attraction due to its warm climate, relatively cheap prices, and its beautiful coastline. People who enjoyed spending time in the sun or just wanted to get away would find the place a virtual paradise. And it wasn't only tourists that came to the island either; Cinnabar Island happened to be one of Kanto's major port cities. The city received a constant stream of goods that the government was importing and export goods like fresh fruits and vegetables. Anything else that was exported out of Kanto came out of the Vermillion City harbor.

Still, above almost everything else, was how important Cinnabar Island was to Pokémon Trainers. The island featured one, if not the, most abundant wild Fire-Type Pokémon colonies within Kanto and acres of lush forest for other kinds of Pokémon. And, due to the tropical climate, Pokémon Trainers would often find Pokémon that had adapted to the climate and had developed a unique, tropical, coloring.

Altogether, it made Cinnabar Island the perfect for one of Kanto's more popular Pokémon Gyms... if it weren't for the Gym Leader.

Blaine had introduced himself as the Gym Leader to Ash and Anabel which made Ash feel a little conflicted. There was no denying that Blaine was smart enough to be a Gym Leader—he had certainly proved that by pointing out various things about the island that most people wouldn't know—but he didn't seem to have that "Gym Leader" persona that other Gym Leaders had. It was strange.

"This'll be the perfect place for you guys to hide." Blaine mock-whispered to them.

... What?

"As one of the most popular tourist attractions within Kanto's borders, various people come here from all over the world. The number of people within the city are difficult to keep track of and people will often get lost in the crowds. Which is why we've had and will continue to have several lost child, underground smuggling, and other such issues... but we'll be using the island to hide you two!" Blaine missed the looks his charges gave each other as he suddenly whirled around and pointed at something with his question mark-shaped cane. "After I'm done with you two, you'll blend in easily~!"

Turning around to see what Blaine was gesturing towards, Ash and Anabel found themselves looking at the entrance to a small clothes shop; _Beach Forever_. They looked back towards Blaine to see the Gym Leader practically beaming at them. Simultaneously, they both began to wonder if the old man had somehow planned this trip out earlier. It was too coincidental that Blaine would start talking about making them blend in and come to a stop near a clothes shop when he finished speaking.

But that couldn't be true, right?

"I'll pay for the things you buy, but you'll have to make sure that the clothing you choose will help you blend in with a crowd." Blaine paused to rub his chin, thinking about it for a moment. "This includes sleeveless or short-sleeved shirts, shorts, or skirts, bikinis, sandals, and flip-flops. The clothing should be bright but not allow you to stand out. Now, hop to it!"

With little other choice, the two younger Pokémon Trainers obeyed. They would come to regret their decision when, an hour later, they finally escaped the shop. Even that was stranger than usual as Blaine hadn't allowed them to go out the front door and had instead had Anabel use her Kadabra to teleport them into the lobby of his Pokémon Gym. If nothing else, they had confirmed that Kadabra didn't need to hear where they were going if he was able to get the idea of where they were going from a person's mind.

As for _Beach Forever's_ staff, they would apparently tell anybody who asked about them a fake story. Some vague descriptions about how they looked and, if the cashier was asked, the belief that they were somehow related to one of Blaine's friends and had come to visit their relatives.

... Just how long had Blaine had been planning this? He couldn't have had more than a couple of days to set everything up.

"You two should go and change into your new clothes." Blaine instructed them after he had introduced him to his receptionist—who happened to be his eldest daughter—and they had recovered from their second Teleport. "The bathroom is over that way. And if you're worried about your Pokémon, don't. I'll watch them while you're gone, Ash."

"Alright."

After handing Deoxys over to Blaine and telling Eevee to be good, Ash accepted a bag from Anabel and thanked her for holding it. She waved it off before they walked towards the public restrooms that Blaine had pointed out. Once inside, Ash quickly shed his clothes and changed into a red shirt and dark-blue jean shorts. His special Pokémon League Expo hat was the last to go inside his backpack and the most reluctant that he was to let go of.

_'It's not like I'm getting rid of it.' _Ash thought with a small frown. It may have seemed childish, but he had put in a lot of effort into getting the hat. Ever since he had gotten it, he had worn it every day. To part with it seemed wrong though it was the 'right' thing to do considering the situation. _'I can't 'blend in' like Blaine wants if I wear it. And if I don't do that...'_ Then the plan that his parents had worked with Sabrina and Blaine on wouldn't work.

So, with a sigh, he reluctantly zipped his backpack closed and slung it over his shoulder. Eevee rushed up to him the moment he exited the restroom while yipping about everything he had missed since he had gone to change. She was moving around so energetically that he almost didn't see the pink bandana that she had wanted tied around her neck—a common style among Trainers who had an Eevee or an evolved form of it.

"That was a nice thing for him to do for you." Ash agreed as he picked up his Starter Pokémon. He waited long enough for Eevee to climb onto his shoulder and make herself comfortable before walking towards the couch Blaine was sitting on. Blaine handed over Deoxys once he had sat down and then gestured towards the coffee table before them. Two Poké Balls gazed up at him innocently. "... What?"

"You didn't think that I wouldn't want to get you two some different Pokémon?" Blaine rolled his eyes and scoffed, "Please. I can dress you two up and make you memorize a story that people will believe, but it would be worthless if people were able to figure out who you guys were based on your Pokémon Teams. Which is why I caught and brought out these two Pokémon. They will be the first Pokémon that you two will "catch" here."

That made sense. "Oh. Thank you."

"I see that you're beginning to understand. The new outfits, the back-story, and these Pokémon I'm providing you will be part of your disguises. To make those disguises believable we have to make sure that you act within the boundaries of that disguise and try not to draw attention to yourselves. Part of that involves acting like a normal Pokémon Trainer who came to visit relatives and catch new Pokémon. Is that a problem?"

"No, it isn't a problem." Ash said.

The only reason that he hadn't caught more was because of what had been happening at the time. On Mt. Moon, he and Anabel had gotten involved with stopping Team Rocket's plan to steal the Moon Stone. In Cerulean City, he had been focused on training his Pokémon Team to face Misty and hadn't really thought about catching another Pokémon. And in Saffron City, well, the technical metropolis wasn't a place to find and catch Wild Pokémon.

Still, that didn't mean that he hadn't wanted to catch more Pokémon. He did want to catch more. If he ever hoped to become a Pokémon Master, he would need to find, catch, and develop a strong Pokémon Team. His current Pokémon Team was strong and he adored them but he could admit that they had their flaws. Catching more Pokémon wouldn't mean that he would abandon or neglect the ones he had, but to give himself new Pokémon to train and bond with while giving the others some new friends.

Blaine began to stand up, "That's good. It'll be up to you two to decide which Pokémon that you want when she gets back. Think of it as your choice for your "Cinnabar Island Starter Pokémon" and go for it. And remember... ladies first~!" Grabbing his cane, he then turned. "Now, if you'll excuse me..."

"Wait! Where are you going?"

"Another young Pokémon Trainer came in while you were changing outfits and challenged me. I agreed to meet him in my battle room when I finished talking with you and, now that I have, its time I go and accept his challenge." Blaine smiled, "It shouldn't take that long. Be back soon~!"

"That guy is really something, isn't he?" Ash mused.

So far, Blaine had proved himself to be very intelligent and always seemed to have something going on. If he wasn't acting on plans he made, he was making them. Blaine also had a good grasp on how long things would take which had made him seem, so far, like he knew when everything was going to happen.

"I think that Mr. Blaine might be a little... eccentric, but he seems like a good person." Ash caught Anabel saying before seeing her as she walked into view from behind the couch. Like Ash, she had traded out her customary outfit for a new one. She was now wearing a light-purple shirt, a pair of dark-blue shorts decorated with pink flowers, and was wearing a white sunhat. It was nice. "Plus... he hasn't been feeling anything bad towards us."

Eevee nodded and offered up her own glowing opinion on Blaine.

"I know, I know. I was just saying... he seems to have planned everything out." A moment passed before Ash turned towards Anabel, "Did you hear what Blaine said before he left? He wanted us to choose which of these two Pokémon we want and to let us know that we'll need to catch some more sometime soon."

"That sounds okay. Do you want to go first?" Anabel asked.

When Ash said no, Anabel stepped towards the coffee table. She looked at the two Poké Balls for a moment, leaned over, and hit the small silver button to re-enlarge both Poké Balls. Twin streams of red energy exited the spherical devices as Anabel stepped back before condensing into two distinct shapes. Soon enough two different Pokémon could be seen sitting on the table:

The first Pokémon resembled a blue, spherical tadpole. It had large eyes, pink lips, a black-and-white swirl on its abdomen, stubby legs, and a long transparent tail. The second resembled an orange fox with a brown eyes, a cream underbelly, brown paws, four orange tails with curled tips, and curly orange bangs.

Ash took out his PokéDex: "Poliwag: The Tadpole Pokémon. Its slick blue skin is thin and damp. A part of its internal organs can be seen through the skin as a spiral pattern." And for the second Pokémon, "Vulpix: The Fox Pokémon. When it is born, it has just one snow-white tail. The tail splits from its tip as it grows older."

With that done, Ash put away the PokéDex while Eevee jumped onto the coffee table to meet the other Pokémon. Poliwag shrunk back from the excitable assault while Vulpix moved to meet it head-on. It then began to follow Eevee as she circled and sniffed at it. Finally Eevee sniffed Vulpix's bangs as Vulpix sniffed at her bandanna before they broke off into a merry chase around the table. Poor Poliwag.

Anabel smiled. "I think that Eevee's made her choice."

"... You don't mind?" Ash asked.

"I was actually hoping this would happen." Anabel admitted, feeling a little guilty. "I mean... I don't have a preference. With you already knowing how to care for Eevee, I thought adapting your methods to a Vulpix wouldn't be that difficult."

Ash blinked and turned towards Vulpix and Eevee. He then turned to look back at Anabel and considered it for a moment. Vulpix had less fur than Eevee did (which meant he would have to spend less time grooming the foxlike creature) and Vulpix was a Fire-Type Pokémon. The moves that it would be capable of learning would be a great addition to his current team and, like Anabel just said, she didn't have a preference.

"It shouldn't be that difficult." Ash agreed.

XXXXXX

(Cinnabar Island—Pokémon Center)

The Pokémon Storage System was a system that allowed for the near-instantaneous transfer of Pokémon. The system worked through an advancement of standard energy conversion technology that would break down and record a Poké Ball and the Pokémon within it. From there the system would transfer that energy to a pre-determined location—to the nearest Pokémon Center during emergencies—or an area picked out by the person who put the Pokémon into the system. Then, once the energy had arrived at its destination, a "receiver" would then convert it back into its original form using the data it gathered when it first entered the system.

It was because of the near-instantaneous speed at which the whole process occurred had made it popular. Using it, people could send their Pokémon too many different locations while on a Video Phone to make sure their Pokémon had arrived safely.

Which is exactly what Ash Ketchum was doing.

Ash was sending Paras and Clefairy to Professor Oak's laboratory back in Pallet Town. He would have loved to have kept them with him but, after talking with Blaine, they had figured out which Pokémon that he could keep with him and who to send away. Clefairy belonged to a species that was difficult to find unless one knew where to look and Paras didn't have the unique coloring that was often found in native Paras.

He would've been sending Deoxys along with them if not for the fact that Blaine said he might be able to make her look like another Pokémon. As it was, Blaine's grandson Wayne had been instructed to watch Deoxys while they were at the Pokémon Gym or about town. It had been hard to leave Deoxys with Wayne earlier so that he could come do this as it marked the first time he would be away from his Baby Pokémon for a couple of hours.

Ash put Clefairy's Poké Ball into the Video Phone's available slot and watched as it vanished within a burst of white light. Moments later, an identical flash of light could be seen coming from the screen as it reappeared on a small platform near Professor Oak. "Thanks for doing this, Professor. I really appreciate it."

"It's the least that I can do for you, Ash." Professor Oak meant it. He might've been busy with other things, but he knew how it felt to be in Ash's situation. It was a constant sense of anxiousness, the feeling of being watched, and the need to be stronger. "A word of advice...? Don't worry about anything except what you need to do."

"I'll try not to."

XXXXXX

(Three Weeks Later—Cinnabar Island)

As the days continued to pass, Ash and Anabel settled down into a routine similar to that they had in Saffron City. The only difference was that Anabel didn't have one-on-one training with Blaine and that they weren't in Blaine's Gym for the majority of their time. For most of the time, their instruction happened at the house that had been provided for them.

The two young Pokémon Trainers were being kept extremely busy with these lessons. Blaine had quizzed them to the point where they had developed a deep understanding of their covers, how they should act when using them, and methods of getting lost or blending in with a crowd. The Gym Leader was also helping them develop their skills as a Pokémon Trainer by giving them helpful advice, help them develop a couple of new strategies, and had begun forcing them to react faster by battling them at a moment's notice.

In addition to all of that, Blaine had arranged for Wayne to teach them some self-defense. They didn't know if they had enough time to truly learn how to fight, so teaching them a few self-defense moves while they still could became very important. The moves weren't going to be anything spectacular, but they would hopefully give them time to call out their Pokémon.

It would take a while for them to assimilate everything that Blaine was teaching them and then even longer to become capable of defending themselves from someone of Blaine's level. And although they weren't aware of it that was the plan; to keep them occupied while the police searched for Jessie.

That wasn't to say that they didn't do anything else. In addition to the time they spent learning from Blaine, they were allowed to go wander Cinnabar Island. The only catch to that was that they had to constantly remind themselves to follow Blaine's advice and act like they had come to the island to visit relatives and have a good time. And they did.

They visited various different stores, went down and had fun at the beach, explored the surrounding forests, and marveled at the island's beauty. The Pokémon they saw were also very beautiful—a small glimpse at what Pokémon in tropical island countries such as the Sevii and the Orange Islands—although Anabel was the only one to have captured one. Ash had tried to catch another Pokémon but, so far, luck wasn't with him and his "opponent" always managed to get away.

Ash was determined to change that. So while they were supposed to be relaxing at Carmine Beach, he told Anabel of his plan and then left. Carmine Beach was a beautiful place but it wasn't somewhere where people could find Wild Pokémon. He and Eevee had barely made it to where he had wanted to go when his Starter Pokémon stiffened and then started to run.

"Eevee! Get back here! Eevee" The Normal-Type Pokémon didn't respond so Ash took off after her. He didn't know what could've caught her attention, but she was ignoring him. It was a similar to what had happened back in that store in Saffron City and he didn't like that. He had thought that she had learned her lesson. And to think that she had been doing so well... _'When I catch up with you, you're going to be in a lot of trouble Eevee.'_

Ash chased Eevee down to a rocky section of beach and then immediately forgot about punishing Eevee. He now knew why she had bolted; she had smelled something wrong. He could smell it too—a pungent, coppery scent that made his eyes widen—the scent of spilt blood. What was worse was the sight of the thing responsible for the blood.

It was a pinniped creature with a thick hide covered in bluish-white fur, a pale tan maw with a large red tongue, and a pair of tusks on its lower jaw. It was a Seel. It's breathing was labored and the blood that was seeping out from increasingly pink fur.

No wonder Eevee had brought him here. She must have either heard Seel's cries or smelled its blood. With this being a less-travelled section of beach, no one would noticed the injured Pokémon. And if no one noticed it and helped it... the Pokémon could've died.

_'But... what can I do?'_ Ash didn't have any medical training and, besides a few half-used Potions, didn't have any medicine on him. He also didn't have the strength that would be needed to carry a Seel. So, really, what _could_ he do?

Ash slowly began to remember the Heal Balls that he and Anabel had bought in Saffron City—special Poké Balls that had been designed with the ability to begin healing the Pokémon it caught. As he began to rummage around in his backpack for it, he didn't know if it would fully heal Seel's injuries but would hopefully heal it enough for him to get the Pokémon to a Pokémon Center.

Even so, when Ash approached the Water-Type Pokémon, it growled weakly and attempted to back away from him. Ash's heart went out to the poor Pokémon; injured, alone, and being faced with someone it couldn't protect itself from. "It's okay." He told it, "I'm just going to get you to a Pokémon Center. Nurse Joy will help you."

The Seel stared at him through bleary eyes and noticed the Pokémon that had helped drag it out of the surf. Its wounds still stung bitterly from the saltwater and, even if it tried, it couldn't resist whatever would be done to it. "Seel..."

"Thank you, Seel."

As soon as the Heal Ball came into contact with Seel, the Water-Type Pokémon was converted into red energy and then absorbed into it. The Heal Ball then landed on the ground where it began to gently rock. It spoke of how weak Seel currently was when the Heal Ball stopped after only two rocks before releasing the signature "ding" that indicated a successful capture. He picked up Seel's Heal Ball before he turned and began running with Eevee hot on his heels.

* * *

Ash's Pokémon Team:

Eevee (Female): Level 30.  
Attacks: Tackle (Normal), Sand Attack (Normal), Scratch (Normal), Baby-Doll Eyes (Fairy), Tail-Whip (Normal), Helping Hand (Normal), Growl (Normal), Bite (Dark), Refresh (Normal), Charm (Fairy), Quick Attack (Normal), Covet (Normal), Take Down (Normal), and Quick Swim (Normal).

Pidgeotto (Male): Level 27.  
Attacks: Sand Attack (Ground), Tackle (Normal), Gust (Flying), Peck (Flying), Quick Attack (Normal), Whirlwind (Flying), Twister (Dragon), and Feather-Dance (Flying).

Rattata (Male): Level 26.  
Attacks: Bite (Dark), Tackle (Normal), Quick Attack (Normal), Crunch (Dark), Hyper Fang (Normal), Assurance (Dark), Scratch (Normal), Pursuit (Dark), Quick Swim (Normal), and Sucker Punch (Dark).

Beedrill (Male): Level 28.  
Attacks: String-Shot (Bug), Poison-Sting (Poison), Bug-Bite (Bug), Fury Attack (Normal), Pin Missile (Bug), Pursuit (Dark,) Twineedle (Bug), Rage (Normal), and Toxic Spikes (Poison).

Vulpix (Male): Level 20.  
Attacks: Ember (Fire), Tail Whip (Normal), Fire Spin (Fire), Roar (Normal), Confuse Ray (Ghost), Quick Attack (Normal), and Imprison (Psychic).

* * *

Anabel's Pokémon Team:

Kadabra (Male): Level 27.  
Attacks: Teleport (Psychic), Psyshock (Psychic), Confusion (Psychic), Psychic (Psychic), Disable (Normal), Miracle Eye (Psychic), and Ally Switch (Psychic).

Butterfree (Female): Level 23.  
Attacks: Confusion (Psychic), Poisonpowder (Poison), Stun Spore (Grass), Harden (Bug), Sleep Powder (Grass), String Shot (Bug), Gust (Flying), and Supersonic (Normal).

Poliwag (Female): Level 20.  
Attacks: Water Sport (Water), Double-Slap (Normal), Bubble (Water), Hypnosis (Psychic), and Water Gun (Water).

* * *

**A/N: Author's Note:** Well, that's the end of this chapter. I hope that you guys liked it. Some of you will be glad that Ash was given a new Pokémon to train (that isn't a Normal, Bug, or Grass-Type Pokémon) with the promise of more Pokémon in the future... and I hope the explanation as to why Ash hadn't caught more Pokémon before makes sense to you. Can you guys figure out why I included the injured Seel at the end? It may be important to future updates. :P

For _Amity's Arrancar_ fans, I'm sorry but Sharkteeth has been very busy with his college work. We're still trying to find time to work of _Amity's Arrancar..._ but we'll hopefully have more time to work on it once things calm down. So please, be patient.


	33. Chapter 33:

**A/N: Author's Note: **A friend of mine has just informed me that the SOPA Bill is back in the works. If you readers don't know what that is, it is the "Stop Online Piracy Act". It may sound like something good but in essence it gives government moderators the right to delete all fan-related work such as fan-art, fan-fiction, and all fan-made videos.

There is currently a petition running to try and put a stop to this but currently it requires 100,000 people to sign up to it. It is a very quick process that took me around three or so minutes to do but it needs to be done before March 19th. If you guys did so, I and I'm sure every author on this site would be very grateful. Thank you for your time.

* * *

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

* * *

Legend:

"Someone is talking."  
'_Someone is thinking.'  
_"A technique/ability."

* * *

Last Time on _Pokémon: Eevee Chronicles_:

* * *

_Once the Heal Ball touched Seel, the injured Water-Type Pokémon was converted into crimson energy which then flowed into the Heal Ball. The Heal Ball closed, fell the short distance to the ground, and almost immediately released the sound signifying a successful capture. But instead of making Ash feel better, it only made him feel worse as it made him realize just how injured Seel was. He quickly retrieved Seel's Heal Ball before he turned and began running with Eevee hot on his heels._

* * *

Chapter 33:

* * *

Ash Ketchum blinked open heavy, bleary eyes and yawned. He absently wondered how he could feel so tired—what had he been _doing_ yesterday?—as he rubbed at his eyes. He couldn't remember doing anything that would've made him feel like he was going to fall asleep again. Then, he slowly opened his eyes and looked around as his eyes adjusted to the bright light. Why was he sitting in a hospital room? It took him a few moments before he began to remember. He was here because of Seel.

It had taken Nurse Joy two hours to finish treating Seel. She had told him that the Water-Type Pokémon had been very lucky that he had found it when he had. She had also told him he had made a good decision when he had decided to capture Seel in a Heal Ball. If he had used a regular Poké Ball, Seel might not have pulled through. Seel had survived though and while he would possess some heavy scarring, Nurse Joy had been sure that he would recover enough to leave the Pokémon Center in a week. No mention had been made into how long it would take Seel to mentally recover from his experience because, really, it depended on a variety of factors; Seel's behavior, his reactions towards people, and how he was treated.

Nurse Joy hadn't taken him to visit Seel right away. She had told him that, due to the extent of Seel's injuries, that he would need to talk to the police. She hadn't believed that he could've been responsible for Seel's injuries considering how fresh Seel's wounds had been and how he'd been spotless... but he still needed to talk to them.

He had been the one to find Seel. By talking to him, the police would be able to find the crime scene and search it for any possible clues. They could also get some information about the people he had seen near the area which could be potential suspects. The talk had lasted about five minutes and, while he was sad he hadn't been able to tell the officer more, he was glad that it was over.

Five minutes after that, Nurse Joy returned and finally took him and Eevee to Seel's room. It had hurt to see the Water-Type Pokémon looking so pale and weak—trying to avoid staring at the spotted bandages and closed stitches—though immensely relieved. It was one thing to be told that someone was okay, but he had needed to really see Seel for himself for it that message to sink in. If that made any sense.

Nurse Joy had seemed to understand, though, and had asked him if he wanted her to call anyone for him. That had reminded him that he had left Anabel at Carmine Beach, telling her that he would only be gone for a couple of hours. He had thought that Anabel would've been worried out of her mind and out looking for him. If she hadn't already called Blaine or Wayne yet, that is. That thought had only made him cringe as he began to realize just what he had done.

He had run through the streets, ran into a couple of people, and pushed his way to the front of the line at the Pokémon Center... Yeah, he was going to be in trouble when they found out. He shouldn't have drawn so much attention to himself.

If Ash had been right about one thing, then it was what he imagined Anabel's reaction to be. She had told him that she'd been really worried about him and angry that he hadn't called her once everything had settled down. She had understood why he had done it, agreed that she wouldn't have done anything different, but had effectively given him the cold shoulder until he had apologized.

Shortly after he had apologized to Anabel, Wayne had arrived. It had surprised Ash that Blaine hadn't come until he had realized that the Gym Leader's presence would've only drawn more attention to what had happened. He had been relieved when Wayne had told them that his grandpa wasn't mad. Wayne had said his grandfather had just been curious, not mad. It had led to another talk/interrogation as Wayne asked him a list of questions that Blaine had wanted him to answer... but that had been okay.

"Vul~pix..." His Vulpix yawned, snapping him out of his thoughts.

Ash turned towards the sound to see his Fire-Type Pokémon blinking sleepily at him from besides Seel's head. Nurse Joy had told him that Seel might feel better if he regained consciousness near another Pokémon but had cautioned him and his Pokémon, when he released them, to take it easy around him.

Pidgeotto and Rattata had taken up defensive positions around the room while Beedrill had settled down in a corner. He had been worried when Vulpix and Eevee had jumped onto Seel's gurney, afraid that they would jostle or accidently hurt the Water-Type Pokémon, but Seel had seemed to relax in their presence. Nurse Joy had been right.

"Hey." Ash quietly greeted the Fire-Type Pokémon. "Did you sleep alright, Vulpix?"

Vulpix yawned again. "Vulpix Vul."

The Fire-Type Pokémon then turned away from him and began to smooth over a ruffled patch of fur he had seen with his tongue. It had been interesting to learn that, while Vulpix was like Eevee in a lot of ways, the foxlike Pokémon hated getting dirty. Vulpix would often avoid doing anything that would ruffle his fur and, when tired, would curl up to give himself a quick grooming before falling asleep. The Fire-Type Pokémon still enjoyed getting groomed by him every couple of days—looked forward to it actually—which was something that Ash had to get used to.

Eeeve would often do anything and everything that she found fun. It didn't matter if that meant splashing in puddles, rolling around in the mud, or rushing though the underbrush or ending up with sticks in her fur... she would do it. In addition, while Eevee enjoyed getting bathed, she often made it into a game. So you could imagine his surprise when a similarly energetic, friendly creature like Vulpix made sure to keep himself clean.

That reminded him... _'Eevee_.'

The Normal-Type Pokémon had been quite subdued ever since they had arrived at the Pokémon Center. It had been a relief that she hadn't acted up though a little worrying as well. Obviously, Eevee had been affected by the experience and very worried about how Seel was doing. That a couple of repeated Helping Hands hadn't seemed to help had also been quite the blow. Hopefully, the funk his Starter Pokémon was in would go away once Seel woke up or started to get better.

Ash had to stand up before he spotted Eevee near Seel's stomach. She was curled up around a seashell-shaped bundle of string that Beedrill had made for Seel. The gift had been a nice gesture and, combined with the behavior of his other Pokémon, had confirmed his suspicions. His Pokémon already cared for Seel. It was probably because of how much Seel reminded them about Clefairy and what she must've gone through with Damien Flatts. Even though Clefairy's injuries had healed, they had never once forgotten them. Nor had they ever forgotten the satisfaction they had felt when Damien had been arrested and then jailed for what he did to the Fairy-Type Pokémon.

Hearing the door open, Ash turned to see one of Nurse Joy's Chansey. The Normal-Type Pokémon nodded at him before bustling over to check the devices monitoring Seel's vitals. She adjusted a couple of things, made sure that the IV was working, and then removed the egg from her pouch. She handed it to Ash before gesturing towards Seel.

"... You want me to give this to Seel?" Ash asked uncertainly.

Chansey pretended to eat something. "Chansey."

It took a couple of seconds for Ash to realize what Chansey was trying to say. Apparently, the Normal-Type Pokémon wanted him to give Seel the egg to eat when it woke up. He didn't know why Chansey would want him to do that, but it wasn't hard to figure out that the Pokémon thought that it could help Seel. And who knew, maybe it would.

Seeing that he understood, the Chansey smiled at him before turning to leave. Ash stood there for a couple of moments—still wondering about the purpose of the egg—and remembered Deoxys. It made him feel a little guilty that he hadn't thought of his Baby Pokémon earlier, especially considering what had happened to Seel. He placed the egg on his chair and went to dial up Wayne—where was Wayne and Anabel anyway?—but stopped when he heard an unusual sound.

For what felt like the hundredth time that day, Ash turned around to face the sound. His gaze was met by Seel's bleary, medicated black eyes. Seel had edged itself backwards and, despite its condition, had moved both Vulpix and Eevee behind it as if to protect them from him. It was a wonder that Seel hadn't already tried to attack him.

"Hello, Seel. My name is Ash Ketchum. Eevee and I found you on the beach yesterday after what happened to you. You allowed us to get you to the Pokémon Center so that Nurse Joy could treat you." Ash explained in what he hoped was a reassuring manner. "Right now, you're in one of the rooms in the Pokémon Center. I'm afraid that you will need to wait a bit before you're fully healed."

Seel stared at him for a couple of more moments before it seemed to relax somewhat. The Water-Type Pokémon was still ready to defend itself if the need arose, but had allowed itself to relax because he wasn't a threat. Seel obviously didn't trust him and wouldn't likely trust him for some time though would be willing to at least tolerate him. For now, at least. Ash knew that Seel would probably attack him if he did anything that the Pokémon deemed threatening.

Belatedly, Ash remembered Chansey's egg. "One of Nurse Joy's Chansey left something for you to eat, Seel." He gestured towards the egg. "I don't know exactly what it does, but I think it'll make you feel a little better." Seel didn't make any sign that it had heard so, thinking that it was alright, moved to retrieve the egg. He had barely done so when he saw Seel staring at him and the egg with a wary look. _'How can I show Seel that this can help it?_'

The only real way to do that was by showing Seel that it was safe to eat. But how could he do that...? Ash's eyes widened in understanding. The next moment saw him taking a bite out of the egg in front of Seel. The taste wasn't all that different from a regular hard-boiled egg, but it did have another more subtle flavor that he couldn't place. He swallowed.

"See, Seel? It's safe."

Seel looked at him for a couple of moments—wondering if Ash could have somehow deceived it—before reluctantly nodding its head. The Water-Type Pokémon honestly didn't have the strength to resist the human for long if it tried to force it to eat the egg, but he had given it a _choice_. Maybe he was different from those other humans that had attacked it and its family. "Seel..."

Ash presented the egg to Seel who took a small bite out of it before quickly eating the rest of it. He beamed at the injured Pokémon and, seeing its glance, took a couple of steps backwards. Seel might have trusted him by proving that the egg was safe to eat, but he didn't doubt that it still didn't trust him that much. It would probably take a long time to get Seel to trust him... if it ever would.

XXXXXX

(Meanwhile)

At the moment, Anabel White could be found sitting across from Wayne in the cafeteria of the Pokémon Center. She had thought about waking Ash up before she had left to get something to eat but, after the night he had had, she had decided to leave him to rest. Her friend had stood vigil with Vulpix and Eevee until they had fallen asleep. She didn't remember if he had eaten last night or not so, after she had finished, she planned on bringing her friend some food or sending Ash down to the cafeteria.

What Anabel hadn't expected was for Wayne to meet up with her in the cafeteria with a disguised Deoxys. It had surprised her at first when Wayne had told her that the "Mime Jr." he was feeding was Deoxys. It should have been impossible considering that Deoxys wasn't strong enough yet to start learning techniques. What was even more surprising was when Wayne had allowed her to touch Deoxys; despite whatever disguise Wayne was using to hide his true identity, the baby Psychic-Type Pokémon still _felt_ like he normally did.

The explanation: holograms.

Wayne had then explained that Deoxys was wearing a modified version of a Holo Caster. She couldn't wrap her mind around how hard it must have been to modify the device into projecting an image over Deoxys—and then making it be able to follow the Baby Pokémon's expressions and movements—but it was certainly impressive. The only downside was that the modified device could only disguise Deoxys for an hour before it needed to be recharged.

Of course, that news paled in comparison to what Wayne had told her next. Before he had left to meet up with them again, Wayne had been told to pass on a message to them from his grandfather. The message? She and Ash would be leaving Cinnabar Island in a few days.

It alarmed her because, despite how well Wayne and Blaine said they were doing, they still had a lot to learn. She and Ash had learned a great deal under their instruction—could even somewhat defend themselves now—but she didn't feel confident in their ability yet. They still didn't have the skill to defeat Wayne unless they got lucky and, the less said about their chances against Blaine, the better.

"Do you know why your grandfather wants us to leave ?"

It couldn't have been about yesterday, right? Ash really didn't have that much a choice in what had happened. It was his nature to try and help those in need... in retrospect, that was probably one of the reasons that her friend kept getting himself into trouble. Ash had been confronted with a severely injured Pokémon which, when thinking about severe its injuries had been, would've probably died on the beach where he had found it. Those that knew Ash would know that, considering all of that, her friend had done his best.

"I'm not too sure about that myself, I'm afraid." Wayne admitted with a small frown, "I've been hearing some rumors about some ships disappearing, but nothing that should've worried the old riddler. I think this situation has made him realize that something is wrong. He probably wants you guys to leave because the attack has made him belief that it wouldn't be safe for you to stay here much longer."

In all honesty, it had been risky to send the kids here. Wayne didn't doubt that Team Rocket possessed some form of base on the island. It was simply impossible for there not to be when considering just how many tourists arrived at the island every day and how the island served as one of Kanto's major trading ports. In addition, it was likely that Team Rocket had disguised themselves as a small business(es) that had slowly bought and stockpiled the materials they used.

"That makes sense." Anabel hesitated for a moment and then looked away, "It's just that... I'm a little worried that we're not ready. Ms. Sabrina sent us here so that we could train and learn to defend ourselves. Your grandfather has been helping us a lot, Wayne, but it seems that we're leaving a little too soon. Where will we go?"

"I know it seems a little sudden, but I'm sure that you two will do fine. You two have a certain knack for battling and, as long as you continue training, I don't doubt that you'll become stronger." Wayne reassured her and then smiled. "As for where you'll go, do you really think Grandpa and I would throw you to out into the world? No, I bet Grandpa has already thought up a place for you guys to go... knowing him, though, he'll probably only tell you guys right before you leave."

Anabel laughed. "That does sounds like him."

XXXXXX

If one was to describe Archer, they would use words such as "cold", "cruel", and "intelligent". Nobody would also think to add "loyal" to that list though the word fit Archer well. The blue-haired man had an unbreakable devotion to Giovanni and to the goals of Team Rocket. It was that devotion combined with his brilliant mind and skills as a Pokémon Trainer that had allowed him to quickly rise through the ranks of Team Rocket. In fact, it had only taken him a few months to be given the illustrious title and rank of "Administrator".

Archer appreciated that rank. It allowed him access to the status of operations (past, present, and future) and the knowledge gained over years of study and experimentation. He also had the right to order an additional operation and order movement of Team Rocket operatives under his command. It was a pain keeping everyone in check—especially when leadership of the organization fell to him and the other administrators—but it was worth it.

The blue-haired man's current task was far beyond anything that he had done before. It would be a true test of his tactical and battling prowess. He knew that he could die in this endeavor in spite of his precautions, believed it to be fact that the majority of Team Rocket grunts that had accompanied him would perish, but it would be worth it. Was there a better way to repay Giovanni and Team Rocket than to do his utmost best in accomplish his current mission? No, there wasn't.

His mission? To locate and then capture the Legendary Ice-Type Pokémon known as Articuno.

Articuno would be a much-welcomed addition to Team Rocket. Despite Team Rocket's numbers and obvious strength, they didn't have the necessary firepower to directly confront Kanto's military. Giovanni had come up with the idea to capture the Legendary Birds and they had agreed. Four Legendary Pokémon would tip the scales in Team Rocket's favor and allow them to crush whoever stood in their way. Even the Four Generals' oblivious rivals, the Elite Four, would be hard-pressed to match them in a fight if they held one of the Legendary Birds.

Now, figuring out where Articuno would be had been almost too easy. There was only one place within Kanto's borders that would be suitable for such a creature. It was ironic in a way because it had probably been Articuno's presence that had changed the climates of the islands it favored. How else would two semi-tropical islands have become the frozen tundra known as the Seafoam Islands?

Of course, most simply didn't think about the reasons the islands would be that way because they had "always been like that". The labyrinth of caves and tunnels connecting the two islands together also wouldn't be easy to navigate, either. If it was anyone else searching for the creature, then they would have needed some kind of luck to stumble on the creature.

Luckily, it was Archer who had been given this mission. It wouldn't take much for him to draw out the Legendary Pokémon; they could be very territorial, after all. Really, it didn't even matter if Articuno wanted to face them or not. The Legendary Pokémon would become enraged at the destruction of its habitat and would eventually be forced into coming out. At that point, the true battle would begin.

* * *

Ash's Pokémon Team:

Eevee (Female):  
Ability: Adaptability.  
Attacks: Tackle (Normal), Sand Attack (Normal), Scratch (Normal), Baby-Doll Eyes (Fairy), Tail-Whip (Normal), Helping Hand (Normal), Growl (Normal), Bite (Dark), Refresh (Normal), Charm (Fairy), Quick Attack (Normal), Covet (Normal), Take Down (Normal), and Quick Swim (Normal).

Pidgeotto (Male):  
Ability: Keen Eye.  
Attacks: Sand Attack (Ground), Tackle (Normal), Gust (Flying), Peck (Flying), Quick Attack (Normal), Whirlwind (Flying), Twister (Dragon), Feather-Dance (Flying), and Agility (Psychic).

Rattata (Male):  
Ability: Guts.  
Attacks: Bite (Dark), Tackle (Normal), Quick Attack (Normal), Crunch (Dark), Hyper Fang (Normal), Assurance (Dark), Scratch (Normal), Pursuit (Dark), Quick Swim (Normal), Sucker Punch (Dark), and Super Fang (Normal).

Beedrill (Male):  
Ability: Swarm.  
Attacks: String-Shot (Bug), Poison-Sting (Poison), Bug-Bite (Bug), Fury Attack (Normal), Agility (Psychic), Assurance (Dark), Pin Missile (Bug), Pursuit (Dark,) Twineedle (Bug), Rage (Normal), and Toxic Spikes (Poison).

Vulpix (Male):  
Ability: Flash Fire.  
Attacks: Ember (Fire), Tail Whip (Normal), Fire Spin (Fire), Roar (Normal), Confuse Ray (Ghost), Quick Attack (Normal), and Imprison (Psychic).

Seel:  
Ability: ?_?_?_?_  
Attacks: ?_?_?_?_

* * *

Anabel's Pokémon Team:

Kadabra (Male):  
Ability: Inner Focus.  
Attacks: Teleport (Psychic), Psyshock (Psychic), Kinesis (Psychic), Confusion (Psychic), Psychic (Psychic), Disable (Normal), Miracle Eye (Psychic), Ally Switch (Psychic), Telekinesis (Psychic) Psybeam (Psychic), and Reflect (Psychic).

Butterfree (Female):  
Ability: Compound Eyes.  
Attacks: Confusion (Psychic), Poisonpowder (Poison), Stun Spore (Grass), Harden (Bug), Sleep Powder (Grass), String Shot (Bug), Gust (Flying), Supersonic (Normal), Whirlwind (Normal), Psybeam (Psychic), and Silver Wind (Bug).

Poliwag (Female):  
Ability: Damp.  
Attacks: Water Sport (Water), Double-Slap (Normal), Bubble (Water), Hypnosis (Psychic), Body Slam (Normal) and Water Gun (Water).

Staryu (Genderless):  
Ability: Illuminate.   
Attacks: Tackle (Normal), Harden (Normal), Water Gun (Water), Rapid Spin (Normal), Recover (Normal) Camouflage (Normal), Swift (Normal), Bubble Beam (Water), and Minimize (Normal).

* * *

**A/N: Author's Note:** Guys, I'm so sorry that it took this long to update this piece of fanfiction. I know that you're probably really upset with me... and I deserve it. But just hear me out. I've been dealing with some family issues; my grandmother got really sick and my mom has felt so sick at times that she believed she was going to die. I've been staying up to help her out and, a couple of times, she almost had me call 911. I've been doing my best to get this chapter finished and uploaded though I didn't have time, or the creative energy, to work on it.

But, as you guys can see, things are going to start getting a little more exciting. Blaine seems to have figured something out, Ash and Anabel have discovered that they'll be leaving soon, and Team Rocket is on the hunt for Articuno. So, now you know what Giovanni was talking about some chapters ago! Three of the Four Generals have been each assigned a Legendary Bird to locate and capture... but what of the fourth general?

Sorry for how short the chapter was! If you want, leave a comment about the chapter/suggestion on how it could be better/what you guys would like to see in the future. Every review helps and makes my day as I get to see what you guys like and kick my autistic muse into action. Thank you for your time!


	34. Chapter 34:

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

* * *

Legend:

"Someone is talking."  
'Someone is thinking.'  
"A technique/ability."

* * *

Chapter 34:

* * *

"Legendary Birds" was a collective term that referred to the quartet of Articuno, Zapdos, Moltres, and Dacuatro. As the physical manifestations of the four seasons, they were amongst the oldest and more powerful members of Legendary Pokémon. Amongst themselves, each member of the quartet possessed similar attributes and were considered equal amongst themselves.

The relationship between the four birds could be best described as "strained". It was their very nature for them to be different from one another and it was those differences that had driven them apart. Simply put, the birds didn't share the same values or beliefs that their "siblings" had. They had split up to prevent their infighting to destroy what remained of their familial bond—despite staying within the borders of Kanto, the four birds hadn't seen one another in two hundred years.

In the end, it would prove to be their downfall.

XXXXXX

When Archer had arrived on the Seafoam Islands, he had planned to draw Articuno out into the open before luring it into an area he had prepared for it. He had thought that, by bombing the mountains that Articuno resided within, the damage would enrage the legendary creature and force it to act. The Legendary Pokémon, however, had not behaved as he had anticipated and, instead of emerging to confront them, had retreated into the caves.

Proton may have immediately ordered his men in pursuit of the Legendary Pokémon, but Archer had chosen to take a more cautious approach. Articuno would be hard enough to subdue; the blue-haired man didn't need the added difficulty of engaging the creature on its home turf without any preparation.

To prepare, Archer had sent his men to block off all but one of the cave entrances leading into the labyrinth. He had then had his men send small teams of Poison-Type Pokémon—Koffing and Wheezing, in particular—into the caves and release a poisonous smog at regular intervals. It would take a while for the smog to reach wherever Articuno was hiding but, once it had, the Legendary Pokémon would become weak.

Archer didn't know if Articuno would try to escape from the smog, but it really didn't matter. All but one of the possible exits to the outside world had been blocked by his men. That remaining entrance was where the bulk of his forces remained. And, once the labyrinth had been completely filled with poisonous smoke, those forces would enter it.

So, when the Poison-Type Pokémon returned and Articuno didn't appear, Archer began sending his forces into the cave system. Equipped with gas-masks, flashlights, radios, and standard mountain-climbing gear, his men were able to overcome any obstacle in their path as they ploughed through the smog. And slowly, ever so slowly, they began to send reports in detailing which segments of the caves that they had searched. At that point, it had only been a matter of time before they had discovered where Articuno was hiding itself.

The Legendary Ice-Type Pokémon, they found, had been hiding within an icy cavern. It was a disoriented and weak from the smog and, as that was what he had wanted, Archer ordered his men to begin the second phase of their operation. His men had dutifully followed his command and plunged into the cavern to begin the assault.

Pokémon Battles were battles between two Pokémon Trainers for some form of prize. The battles themselves could damage the surrounding environment though that factor depended on the strength of the creatures fighting and the strategies of the humans directing them. For example, battles between the Elite Four could often destroy the battlefields they were fighting on and much of the surrounding countryside. A Legendary Pokémon, however, could raze entire cities when they fought.

It was that combat potential that made the Legendary Birds so appealing to Team Rocket. The sheer firepower that the four Legendary Pokémon possessed would make accomplishing their goals and dealing with their enemies so much easier. Once Kanto's military and the Elite Four had been dealt with, the country's government would fall.

At this time, however, it was Team Rocket who would be at the receiving end of such power.

Ice-Type Pokémon possessed a weak defense but made up for that deficiency with a strong offense. They were also one of the two Pokémon Types whose moves were effective against the infamous Dragon-Type Pokémon. In addition, Articuno also possessed an Ability that, once in use, would prevent his forces from using a powerful attack more than once. On the other hand, Articuno was part Flying-Type which made it have a particular weakness to Rock-Type moves. Also, Articuno was weakened from the poisonous smog it had been breathing in.

Articuno had apparently spotted them through the purple cloud as it had been the one who had instigated things. The Ice-Type Pokémon did that by opening its beak and unleashing a beam of icy energy that froze those unlucky enough to be in its path.

In the next moment, a cacophony of shouted voices were heard before three separate barrages of flame emerged and rocketed towards Articuno. The Legendary Ice-Type Pokémon wasn't phased though. It merely flapped its wings and sent powerful, icy gale that pushed the flames and the remaining smog backwards. It then unleashed another gust that sent those not able to move flying into the nearby walls.

It was quite the impressive display although instead of intimidating him like the creature may have wanted it only caused Archer to smile. He had known that Articuno would be a challenging opponent. 'Let's see what else you can do, Articuno.'

Articuno didn't disappoint. In addition to its impressive Ice-Type moves, it had displayed an elegant mastery of Flying-Type moves. And although the battle continued to rage on and it continued taking hits, it only showed the barest signs of exhaustion.

While it had been nice to watch Articuno, eventually Archer had entered the fray. He hadn't set himself up as a frontline fighter but someone behind the scenes—using his Pokémon to slowly weaken the creature and strike when it had turned its attention on something else. It was slow going but, unlike the majority of people, he wasn't an idiot.

Thecoup de grâce happened three hours into the battle. With the majority of his forces either dead or severely injured and Articuno weakened, he could actually finish things. He had saved it until now because, if it hadn't worked, then Articuno's Ability would prevent him from using it against the creature. His men might have been able to do it if their Pokémon had actually known and been able to use the combination he had thought of.

"Weezing, Destiny Bond." Archer commanded. "Then Self-Destruct."

Self-Destruct was a move that caused the Pokémon using it to explode violently. It was a move that usually knocked the user unconscious from the combined energy lose and self-inflicted damage though it was possible to train a Pokémon to stay conscious. Still, either way, the move was usually considered as a last resort.

Destiny Bond was a move that was often underrated. It didn't compare to the sheer destruction that other moves could create, but it didn't have too. The move's power came from its ability to tie the user's life-force with another individual. After the bond had been created, any injury inflicted upon the user would then be inflicted onto the other through the bond.

It was this combination that would seal Articuno's fate.

XXXXXX

(Meanwhile—Cinnabar Island—Pokémon Gym)

Ash Ketchum could currently be found within the Cinnabar Island Pokémon Gym, standing on a designated battleground directly across from Blaine. He hadn't thought about challenging Blaine for his Gym Badge before he and Anabel left Cinnabar Island, but the older man had insisted.

"I know that I've already introduced myself to you, but I believe that I should do it again. Now that you're actually challenging me for my Gym Badge." Blaine stated. A small, mischievous smile appeared on the Gym Leader's face. "I am Blaine, the Gym Leader of Cinnabar Island's Pokémon Gym, and expert Fire-Type Pokémon Trainer~! You had better have brought some Burn Heal with you if you wish to survive this battle, Ash."

Ash knew that it more than a statement; it was a warning.

Most Pokémon Trainers would believe that Blaine wasn't that tough, but he was. Blaine was arguably one of the strongest Gym Leaders that resided within Kanto. When new Pokémon Trainers came to Cinnabar Island expecting to achieve an "easy victory" they would head out without the Gym Badge but with the knowledge that Blaine wasn't to be underestimated.

"I brought as much as I could." Ash responded. Granted, the amount of Burn Heal had been able to bring wasn't much. He didn't know if he would be able to apply Burn Heal to his Pokémon in the middle of his upcoming Pokémon Battle, but he doubted it.

Blaine nodded in approval before he reached into one of the pockets of his lab-coat and withdraw a Poké Ball. "Good. Now that I've introduced myself, it is time that I introduced you to the first of the two Pokémon you will face today." The Poké Ball released a thin beam of white energy that then came together to form into a Pokémon. The creature blinked open red eyes before realization set in. "This is my Rapidash. Quite the beauty, isn't she?"

Rapidash was a beautiful creature. The Pokémon resembled a cream-colored horse with long, slender legs and black hoofs. Flickering streams of red-orange flame streamed from her neck, small parts of her back, her fetlocks, and even formed her tail. The most distinguishing thing about her however would have to be the large horn that rested on her forehead.

"Rapidash: The Fire Horse Pokémon. The evolved form of Ponyta. The faster a Rapidash runs, the longer the swaying flames of their mane become. At an all-out gallop, their blazing manes seem to sparkle; a feature which is said to enhance their beautiful appearance. Rapidash live in grasslands, but the species can also be found in some mountainous regions." Ash's PokéDex supplied.

Blaine spared Rapidash a fond glance. "I first encountered Rapidash in the mountains when she was a Ponyta. She was a stubborn little thing—" Rapidash snorted and Blaine smiled. "—but I couldn't have asked for a better addition to my Pokémon Team." Blaine turned towards Ash, "So, which Pokémon are you going to use?"

That was a good question. From what he had learned about Rapidash from the PokéDex, he could expect the Fire-Type Pokémon to be really fast. He could also assume that Rapidash would be strong as she was a Gym Leader's Pokémon. Rapidash's type was also weak against Ground, Rock, and Water-Type moves. Ash _had_ managed to capture a Water-Type Pokémon, but he couldn't use Seel. Seel was still recovering from an array of life-threatening injuries and couldn't fight.

Eevee, Rattata, and Vulpix could also be dismissed. He knew that they were strong though, against an opponent like Rapidash, they would be at a disadvantage. Rapidash's speed would enable the Fire-Type Pokémon to run circles around them and eventually take them down. He wasn't saying that he didn't believe they wouldn't be able to land a hit on Rapidash, but he didn't want to use them when they were at a disadvantage.

That left Pidgeotto and Beedrill.

Beedrill had more experience. Having fought against two Gym Leaders, Ash knew that Beedrill was tough. The Pokémon's dual Poison/Bug-Type nature had given the creature a wide array of moves it could learn from which multiple strategies could be created. Against Rapidash, however, it was that dual nature that put Beedrill at a disadvantage; Fire-Type Pokémon were resistant to Bug-Type moves. If Ash decided to use Beedrill, he would have to make sure that Rapidash didn't damage Beedrill too much and find a way to finish things quickly.

It was true that Pidgeotto didn't have as much experience against Gym Leaders, but he had proved to be a strong Pokémon. The Flying-Type Pokémon also didn't have a weakness to Fire-Type moves while Fire-Type Pokémon didn't have a weakness to Flying-Type moves. It would be a hard battle though Pidgeotto would likely last longer than Beedrill.

After making his decision, Ash retrieved a Poké Ball and threw it towards the battlefield. "I choose you, Pidgeotto!"

Pidgeotto materialized in a flash of white light and, like Rapidash before him, looked around until he realized what was happening. The Flying-Type Pokémon rose into the air with a few flaps of his wings and glared at his future opponent. The Fire Horse Pokémon stared back, unimpressed.

Now that both Blaine and Ash had chosen their first Pokémon, Wayne stepped forward. "You two already know that this will be a two-on-two Pokémon Battle with no substitutions. In the case that you both win a round, a third round will be used to determine the winner." The acting referee announced. He spared a glance at each Pokémon Trainer and cleared his throat. "Now... the first match: Challenger Ash Ketchum's Pidgeotto vs. Gym Leader Blaine's Rapidash... begin!"

"Pidgeotto, Feather-Dance!" Ash ordered.

Blaine smiled. "Flame Charge."

In the next moment, both Pokémon hastened to obey their orders. Pidgeotto quickly spread out his wings before sweeping them forward to unleash a barrage of bright, glowing feathers. At the same time, fire erupted from Rapidash's body as the Fire-Type Pokémon charged forwards. It was that action that caused Ash to realize that he had been right; Rapidash was faster than Eevee, Rattata, and Vulpix. Much, _much _faster. It also made him realize that he needed to do something about that.

"Pidgeotto, use Whirlwind!"

Pidgeotto nodded. As Rapidash charged through the Feather-Dance, the Flying-Type Pokémon began to pump his wings. The motion soon stirred the air into a powerful gust that Pidgeotto then unleashed towards Rapidash with another, stronger, thrust of his wings.

Blaine shook his head, disappointed. "Do you really believe a Whirlwind will be enough to stop my Rapidash, Ash?" He sighed. "Have you learned anything during your time under my family's tutelage?"

"I learned plenty." Ash replied. He had known that it wasn't likely that Pidgeotto's Whirlwind would be powerful enough to stop Rapidash. He had gone through with it however because he had known that the Whirlwind would at least slow Rapidash down enough for his and Pidgeotto's next move. "Now! Pidgeotto, use Twister!"

"Pidgeotto!" The Flying-Type Pokémon agreed. As Pidgeotto began to flap his wings and focus his energy, the air in front of his body shifted. The air spun and took on the shape of a miniaturized twister before the Bird Pokémon unleashed the attack towards Rapidash.

The Twister slammed into Rapidash mid-charge, before she could dodge or brace herself, and sent the Pokémon stumbling backwards. As Rapidash was pushed back, the flames covering her body grew at the sudden influx of "fuel" even as small cuts opened up all over her body.

_'Hm. It appears that I read him wrong; he wasn't trying to stop Rapidash with Pidgeotto's Whirlwind. He used it to slow her down enough to give Pidgeotto enough time to complete his Twister.'_ Blaine thought and couldn't help the small, proud smile that spread across his face. So, Ash _had_ learned something after all. How much the boy had managed to retain he didn't know, but he would soon find out. "Use Inferno."

Rapidash obeyed. Using the leftover flames from her failed Flame Charge, Rapidash then unleashed a spinning stream of bright red-orange flames towards Pidgeotto. The flames easily burned through Pidgeotto's second Feather-Dance and forced the Flying-Type Pokémon to fly to the left. If the bird hadn't, it would have been roasted by the flames. Pidgeotto managed to fly around several more bursts of fire although Blaine hadn't intended for Rapidash to hit Pidgeotto with the flames.

The purpose of the flames had been to maneuver Pidgeotto into a location of his choosing.

"Rapidash, Quick Attack. Follow it with Take Down!" Blaine commanded.

In the next moment, Rapidash had halved the distance between herself and the Flying-Type Pokémon. Ordinarily the Fire Horse Pokémon's speed was dangerous enough but, when combined with Quick Attack, she became little more than a whitish-reddish blur. Rapidash jumped into the air only a few feet away from her flying foe before ramming Pidgeotto with enough force to send him hurtling towards the nearby wall. As the Flying-Type Pokémon collided with the wall, Rapidash landed on the ground and then tossed her head.

"Pidgeotto! Are you okay, Pidgeotto?!" Concerned over his Pokémon's wellbeing, it took everything that Ash had not to going running to Pidgeotto's side. The Flying-Type Pokémon had landed in a position eerily similar to his memory of finding Seel on that rocky beach. He was about to run over anyway as Pidgeotto had yet to respond to him—who cared if leaving his post could disqualify him; Pidgeotto was hurt!—when the Flying-Type Pokémon was enveloped within a white light. "... Pidgeotto?"

The light soon faded and, as it did, Pidgeotto slowly pushed himself up and got to his feet. Only, Pidgeotto wasn't a Pidgeotto anymore; he was now a Pidgeot. "Pidgeot: The Bird Pokémon. The evolved form of Pidgeotto." Ash's Pokédex announced. "This species is known for their ability to create a gutsy windstorm in a few flaps of their wings and their amazing eyesight which is believed to allow them to spot prey from extraordinary heights."

Pidgeot was a large, avian Pokémon with a glossy brown plumage and a cream-colored underbelly. He had a beautiful red-and-yellow crest that was almost as long as his entire body and red, fan-like tail feathers. He also had a pink beak, pink legs, and black markings around his eyes.

"This could be interesting." Blaine mused.

It was the Gym Leader's voice that brought Ash back to reality. He winced underneath the gaze that Blaine directed at him. Despite Blaine not saying anything, he remembered enough of Blaine's comments during training to imagine what he would say. "You need to stop getting so distracted", "Either my Pokémon or I could have seriously injured you while you were distracted; pay attention!", and "Stop thinking too hard! You need to be able to react to an enemy's attack at a moment's notice!"

_'... So that's why he asked me to battle him._' Ash realized,_ 'This isn't just about me challenging him for his Gym Badge, but a test to see if I actually learned anything.'_

It explained so much. Why Blaine had insisted they had a battle, why Blaine had chosen Rapidash, and the older man's question about if he had learned anything. The information only served to help him harden his resolve; he was going to pass this test and defeat Blaine.

"You ready, Pidgeot?"

The Flying-Type Pokémon didn't respond right away. Pidgeot rose into the air with a few flaps of his powerful wings before redirecting himself towards the battlefield. The Bird Pokémon landed with a solid thump in front of his Trainer whereupon he then leaned forward as he extended his wings behind him. "Pidgeot!" The Flying-Type Pokémon screeched, "Pidgeoo!"

"Alright!" Ash cheered, pumping a fist. "Let's show them what we're made of, Pidgeot! Use Agility and then Quick Attack!"

Blaine frowned. "You might have realized the purpose of this battle, but that doesn't mean that I'll allow you to win so easily!" His eyes narrowed as he watched Pidgeot's body become enveloped with the translucent white glow of Agility. "So, let's see who has the fastest Pokémon, shall we? Quick Attack!"

In the following moment, both Rapidash and Pidgeot charged towards one another at blinding speeds. Pidgeot's Agility and Quick Attack combination wasn't enough to make it as fast as Rapidash's Quick Attack-enhanced speed, but it was enough to blur the Flying-Type Pokémon's shape. It was obvious that Rapidash was the fastest of them though, in the long run, that didn't matter.

... Especially considering what Ash was planning. "Up!" The black-haired boy shouted towards his Pokémon. He watched Blaine's eyes widen behind his sunglasses and felt a momentary surge of triumph as Pidgeot rose higher into the air. "Now, Pidgeot, Quick Attack!" Under his command, Pidgeot swerved in the air before straining himself to squeeze every bit of extra speed that he could. "Finish it with a spin!"

There was no doubt that Rapidash was a powerful Pokémon. The Fire-Type Pokémon's had clearly proven that. So, knowing this, it would have been a really bad idea to allow Pidgeot to attack Rapidash in a straight-up charge. But, by making Blaine believe he was going to try it and then suddenly switching strategies, he had managed to catch the older man off-guard. And like Blaine had used his distraction to attack him in their previous battles, he would use Blaine's surprise to give Pidgeot an opening to attack Rapidash.

Pidgeot began to spin. The Flying-Type Pokémon quickly became little more than a spinning brown blur that rocketed towards Rapidash. A shouted "Inferno" from Blaine caused Rapidash to turn her head upwards. She then unleashed a roaring stream of bright red-orange flames towards Pidgeot. Pidgeot pierced through the raging flames like a hot knife through butter and, for the moment, ignored the flames as they burned his feathers and the flesh underneath.

When Pidgeot finally reached and collided with Rapidash, the sight was blocked by the Fire-Type Pokémon's Inferno as it followed Pidgeot and consumed both Pokémon. Silence descended upon the battlefield as everyone waited for the flames to die out and reveal the winner. If either one of the two Pokémon were still conscious, that was.

* * *

Ash's Pokémon Team:

Eevee (Female):  
Ability: Adaptability.  
Attacks: Tackle (Normal), Sand Attack (Normal), Scratch (Normal), Baby-Doll Eyes (Fairy), Tail-Whip (Normal), Helping Hand (Normal), Growl (Normal), Bite (Dark), Refresh (Normal), Charm (Fairy), Quick Attack (Normal), Covet (Normal), Take Down (Normal), and Quick Swim (Normal).

Pidgeot (Male):  
Ability: Keen Eye.  
Attacks: Sand Attack (Ground), Tackle (Normal), Gust (Flying), Peck (Flying), Quick Attack (Normal), Whirlwind (Flying), Twister (Dragon), Feather-Dance (Flying), and Agility (Psychic).

Rattata (Male):  
Ability: Guts.  
Attacks: Bite (Dark), Tackle (Normal), Quick Attack (Normal), Crunch (Dark), Hyper Fang (Normal), Assurance (Dark), Scratch (Normal), Pursuit (Dark), Quick Swim (Normal), Sucker Punch (Dark), and Super Fang (Normal).

Beedrill (Male):  
Ability: Swarm.  
Attacks: String-Shot (Bug), Poison-Sting (Poison), Bug-Bite (Bug), Fury Attack (Normal), Agility (Psychic), Assurance (Dark), Pin Missile (Bug), Pursuit (Dark,) Twineedle (Bug), Rage (Normal), and Toxic Spikes (Poison).

Vulpix (Male):  
Ability: Flash Fire.  
Attacks: Ember (Fire), Tail Whip (Normal), Fire Spin (Fire), Roar (Normal), Confuse Ray (Ghost), Quick Attack (Normal), and Imprison (Psychic).

Seel:  
Ability: ?  
Attacks: ?

* * *

Anabel's Pokémon Team:

Kadabra (Male):  
Ability: Inner Focus.  
Attacks: Teleport (Psychic), Psyshock (Psychic), Kinesis (Psychic), Confusion (Psychic), Psychic (Psychic), Disable (Normal), Miracle Eye (Psychic), Ally Switch (Psychic), Telekinesis (Psychic) Psybeam (Psychic), and Reflect (Psychic).

Butterfree (Female):  
Ability: Compound Eyes.  
Attacks: Confusion (Psychic), Poisonpowder (Poison), Stun Spore (Grass), Harden (Bug), Sleep Powder (Grass), String Shot (Bug), Gust (Flying), Supersonic (Normal), Whirlwind (Normal), Psybeam (Psychic), and Silver Wind (Bug).

Poliwag (Female):  
Ability: Damp.  
Attacks: Water Sport (Water), Double-Slap (Normal), Bubble (Water), Hypnosis (Psychic), Body Slam (Normal) and Water Gun (Water).

Staryu (Genderless):  
Ability: Illuminate.  
Attacks: Tackle (Normal), Harden (Normal), Water Gun (Water), Rapid Spin (Normal), Recover (Normal) Camouflage (Normal), Swift (Normal), Bubble Beam (Water), and Minimize (Normal).

* * *

Blaine's Pokémon Team:

Magmar (Male):  
Ability: Flame Body.  
Attacks: Smog (Poison), Leer (Normal), Ember (Fire), SmokeScreen (Normal), Faint Attack (Dark), Fire Spin (Fire), Clear Smog (Poison), Flame Burst (Fire), Confuse Ray (Ghost), Fire Punch (Fire), Lava Plume (Fire), Sunny Day (Fire), and Flamethrower (Fire).

Ninetails (Female):  
Ability: Flash Fire.  
Attacks: Quick Attack (Normal), Heat Wave (Fire), Energy Ball (Grass), Safeguard (Normal), Ember (Fire), Hypnosis (Psychic), Tail Whip (Normal), Nasty Plot (Dark), Confuse Ray (Ghost), Roar (Normal), Fire Spin (Fire), Imprison (Psychic), Faint Attack (Dark), and Flame Burst (Fire).

Rapidash (Female):  
Ability: Run Away.  
Attacks: Poison Jab (Poison), Megahorn (Bug), Growl (Normal), Flame Wheel (Fire), Quick Attack (Normal), Tail Whip (Normal), Ember (Fire), Stomp (Normal), Flame Charge (Fire), Take Down (Normal), and Inferno (Fire).

* * *

**A/N: Author's Note:** Well, that's the end of this chapter. Sorry that we didn't cover that much ground in it although I hope that the battles made up for it. I will try to work on my battle scenes if they are lacking though, if you were disappointed in something, tell me about it in a review or pm so that I use that information to make the story better. In addition, either the next chapter or the one after that will mark the end of the mini "Training Arc" and we will move on to the next one.

P.S. Thank you guys for your kind words. They really helped me out during my mother's time in the hospital and then, a week later, when my grandmother went to the hospital. Thank you guys so, _so_ much. May you have a great day and a fantastic Mother's Day with your families.


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